Delhi High Court Protects Actor Ravi Kishan's Personality Rights Against AI Misuse

The Delhi High Court has issued an interim order protecting actor and Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan against the unauthorized exploitation of his personality attributes, including his name, image, and likeness. The ruling specifically addresses the misuse of his identity in AI-generated content, deepfakes, and on pornographic websites.

Justice Jyoti Singh restrained numerous defendants, both identified and unidentified, from using Kishan's persona for commercial or personal gain. This followed allegations that the actor faced AI-generated videos mocking his speeches, fabricated political statements attributed to him, and obscene content using his name as a keyword. Kishan argued this caused significant reputational damage and unlawfully exploited the commercial value of his personality rights.

The court found a "prima facie" case in Kishan's favor, stating he was likely to suffer irreparable harm without immediate relief. The judgment recognizes that individuals, especially public figures, have an exclusive right to control the commercial use of their identity. It was noted that personality rights are now judicially recognized and their unauthorized commercial exploitation causes detriment and impacts dignity.

The order explicitly prohibits the use of Kishan's name, image, or likeness through AI, generative AI, machine learning, or deepfake technologies in any format. Defendants are also barred from posting vulgar or obscene content featuring the actor's attributes. Domain name registrars must remove offending URLs within three days, with social media platforms like Meta, Google, and X (formerly Twitter) facing obligations to take down content if registrars fail to comply.

The court distinguished this case from that of politician Raghav Chadha, where the judge viewed the matter primarily as political criticism rather than a personality rights violation. While both cases involved AI-generated content, the emphasis in Kishan's case on commercial misappropriation and obscene misuse of his identity led to a stronger protection order.