On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court has ordered that it would grant an ad-interim order in favour of actor Akshay Kumar, protecting him from the unauthorised use of his likeness and image through deepfakes and AI-generated material. The court observed that such misuse “not only hurts his stature but has huge consequences,” underlining the urgent threat posed by digital impersonation in today’s entertainment ecosystem.Justice Arif Doctor heard the matter, which stems from a civil suit filed by the actor—legally known as Akshay Hari Om Bhatia—seeking to restrain individuals and organisations from commercially exploiting his persona without prior consent.Representing Kumar, Senior Advocate Birendra Saraf argued that the case raises a broader issue beyond the actor’s personal interests. “These acts cause grave and irreparable harm to the plaintiff’s goodwill and reputation, dilute his personality and publicity rights, mislead the public, and amount to passing off, unfair competition, and unjust enrichment,” the plea stated.The petition details multiple instances where Kumar’s name, screen name ‘Akshay Kumar,’ image, voice, and mannerisms were misused across fake videos, deceptive advertisements, and counterfeit merchandise. These materials have circulated on major digital platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and several e-commerce websites. One major incident referenced in the plea involves a fake movie trailer released in March 2025 that used AI-generated visuals of the actor, forcing him to issue a public clarification denying any association with the project. In other cases, he was falsely depicted as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and another clip distorted his comments about Rishi Valmiki.Saraf cautioned that such videos could provoke “instant reactions” before the real facts are known. He also mentioned a gambling website and a portal named Akshaykumar.ai, which allowed users to create voice clips imitating the actor. “We are not seeking closure of the website, but we are seeking protection of the actor’s attributes,” he clarified.The counsel added that numerous fake accounts and counterfeit products using the actor’s name were still circulating online. Kumar’s lawsuit is part of a growing movement among Indian celebrities seeking judicial protection for their personality rights.Recently, the Bombay High Court has extended similar relief to prominent figures including Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Karan Johar, Rishab Shetty, and Akkineni Nagarjuna. Earlier this month, the court also prohibited the misuse of veteran singer Asha Bhosle’s name and likeness, including AI-generated reproductions of her voice.Personality rights give individuals legal control over how their identity is used publicly or commercially. They safeguard elements such as name, image, voice, signature, and likeness from unauthorised exploitation, encompassing two main aspects — the Right to Publicity, which prevents commercial misuse without consent, and the Right to Privacy, which guards against violations of personal dignity through deepfakes, morphed visuals, and fake endorsements. Go to Source
