Celebrities who moved court for personality rights protection in 2025

From Amitabh Bachchan to Salman Khan, here is a list of celebrities who approached courts this year to protect their personality attributes.

Delhi High Court’s Justice Navin Chawla held that it cannot be disputed that Bachchan is a well-known personality and is represented in various advertisements.

1. Amitabh Bachchan

The “Muqaddar Ka Sikandar” actor moved the Delhi High Court, which restrained several people violating the veteran actor’s “publicity rights” as a celebrity.

Granting an ex parte ad interim injunction in November, Justice Navin Chawla held that it cannot be disputed that Bachchan is a well-known personality and is represented in various advertisements.

The court directed the Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to pull down all links and websites mentioned in his plea, which stated that he has become a household name not only in India but across the world for over the last 50 years.

2. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

The Delhi High Court, while granting protection to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s personality, publicity and moral rights, observed that courts cannot turn a blind eye to cases of unauthorised exploitation of personality rights.

“When the identity of a famous personality is used without their consent or authorisation, it may not only lead to commercial detriment to the concerned individual but also impact their right to live with dignity,” Justice Tejas Karia said.

The former Miss World was granted protection against the misuse of her name and the acronym “ARB”, image, and persona for any commercial or personal gain without her consent.

In her plea, Aishwarya submitted that she is one of the most celebrated and internationally recognised personalities in the Indian entertainment industry. It was further stated that she is a global icon, an acclaimed actress, a former Miss World and a global ambassador for various brands.

Arguing for the protection of Rai’s publicity rights, senior advocate Sandeep Sethi pointed out that his client has earned “immense fame and respect through her prolific acting career, philanthropic endeavours and global representation” of Indian culture and cinema.

Justice Karia restrained entities from exploiting or misappropriating the 1994 Miss World’s name and acronym “ARB”, image and persona for any commercial or personal gain without her consent.

3. Karan Johar

Karan Johar, who directed, produced, and wrote several critically and commercially acclaimed ‘blockbuster’ films like “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, approached the Delhi High Court, which granted an ex parte ad-interim injunction to protect his personality and publicity rights in September.

Considering the commercial value of the publicity rights of celebrities, the court stated that “a celebrity is entitled to safeguard his interest against any misuse of the personality attributes which include his name, image, voice and likeness”.

Karan Johar got protection against misuse of his acronym ‘KJo’, likeness, image, voice, personality or any other aspects of his persona.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora restrained several entities from utilising Johar’s name, his acronym ‘KJo’, likeness, image, voice, personality or any other aspects of his persona to create any merchandise, or in any other manner misuse the said attributes using technological tools for commercial purposes, which results in a violation of his rights.

4. Hrithik Roshan

Hrithik Roshan, who made his debut as a lead actor in “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai” and has won multiple Filmfare Awards, was granted an ex parte ad interim injunction by the Delhi High Court in October to protect his personality and publicity rights.

Hrithik Roshan made his debut as a lead actor in “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai” and has won multiple Filmfare Awards.

The actor, who also owns the activewear and fitness brand HRX, sought protection from misuse of his name, images and attributes, including morphed and AI-generated content, to deceive fans for illegal profits.

He submitted that no one can use his personality rights without his consent and highlighted that some content was vulgar and demeaning.

5. Akkineni Nagarjuna

The 65-year-old actor approached the Delhi High Court seeking exclusive rights to control the use of his name, likeness, image, persona, voice, mannerisms, gestures and other uniquely identifiable characteristics associated with him.

Granting the protection, Justice Karia observed that the exploitation of one’s personality rights puts at risk not only their “economic interests” but also their “right to live with dignity”, potentially causing immeasurable harm to their reputation and goodwill.

Nagarjuna, the veteran actor, has featured in over 95 films. (Image enhanced using AI)

Nagarjuna, in his plea, submitted that he is one of the most “respected, acclaimed, celebrated actors, producer, entrepreneur and a revered veteran of the Indian film industry”, having featured in over 95 feature films.

The court, in its September order, protected the use or exploitation or misappropriation of the actor’s name ‘Akkineni Nagarjuna’ and ‘Nagarjuna’; image, likeness, along with other attributes of his persona, which are exclusively identifiable with him.

6. Abhishek Bachchan

Actor Abhishek Bachchan moved the Delhi High Court, which granted an ex parte ad interim injunction directing the takedown, removal, disabling and blocking of various URLs, and restrained multiple entities from creating, sharing or disseminating any product or content, including audio visual content, images and videos, through the use of any technology that results in dilution of his public persona.

Abhishek Bachchan is is a celebrated and recognised actor, film producer and entrepreneur, who has, over the years, built a strong personal brand .

In his plea, Abhishek submitted that he is a celebrated and recognised actor, film producer and entrepreneur, and that over the years he has built a strong personal brand with which the public associates trust and quality, including in relation to the brands he endorses. He further pointed out that certain entities had designed their entire business models to illegally monetise his persona and likeness for personal gain.

7. Salman Kahan

Bollywood star Salman Khan, the 60-year-old actor, with his dedication to fitness and distinct dialogue delivery who has created a unique brand of “heroism” in contemporary Indian cinema approached the Delhi High Court to get protection for his “on-screen persona” being synonymous with the term “Bhaijaan” or “Bhai” or “Sallu Bhai” along with his voice and his signature dance steps in renowned movies like “Mujhse Shaadi Karoge” and “Dabangg”, etc.

Salman Khan seek protection against his “dancing style” along with other personality attributes. (Image enhanced using AI)

In his petition, this Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor called his extensive fan following and their unconditional love as the “most valuable asset” and submitted that his attributes, including name, signature, name, voice, etc., had been used to deceive his fans and the world at large unlawfully.

The matter would come up on May 18, 2026, in the high court.

8. Jaya Bachchan

Protecting the personality rights of actor and Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan, the Delhi High Court issued blocking orders for websites infringing on her personality rights in November.

Jaya’s counsel submitted that the actress is regarded as one of the most renowned figures of Hindi cinema, with a career spanning over six decades, and pointed out that during the 1970s she emerged as one of the highest-paid actresses of the era.

Justice Arora pointed out that the veteran actress’s personality traits, including her names- Jaya Bachchan and Jaya Amitabh Bachchan, likeness, signature, voice, image and other aspects of her persona, are “protectable elements” of her personality rights.

The court further observed that the actress is entitled to seek an injunction against morphed and distorted content that is defamatory and demeaning to her and her family, as well as against the unauthorised commercial use of her personality rights by third parties.

The Delhi High Court found that the veteran actress’s personality traits, including her names, Jaya Bachchan and Jaya Amitabh Bachchan, are “protectable elements” of her personality rights. (Image enhanced using AI)

However, the court refused to grant an injunction against the use of her images on movie posters, noting that the copyright in movie posters vests with the respective film owners and not with Jaya.

9. Suniel Shetty

Alleging that certain AI-generated images and counterfeit merchandise misappropriated his image and likeness, Suniel Shetty, a proud Mangalorean and a Bollywood actor, moved the Bombay High Court, stating that deep fake pictures, including those showing him with his grandchild, were creating “irreparable injury to his immense goodwill” and affecting existing contracts.

Suniel Shetty was concerned about deep fake pictures, including those showing him with his grandchild.

The court granted Shetty an ad-interim order and raised concerns over AI-generated infringing content, pointing out that the “unauthorised use” of AI-generated images of celebrities constitutes a blatant invasion of their “privacy and their fundamental rights”.

1o. Ajay Devgn

In December, Ajay Devgn, the famous “Singham” actor, moved the Delhi High Court, which ordered infringing websites to take down deepfakes with inappropriate content, as well as other content with unauthorised use of his name. 

Justice Arora, granting protection to Devgn’s personality rights, observed that the actor is a known public figure with a distinguished career spanning over four decades, during which his “name, image, voice, and likeness” have acquired immense goodwill, distinctiveness, and commercial value.

Ajay Devgn is associated with various brands such as “Vimal, Lakhani, Amul Comfy, Pushp, Dabur Babool” etc, and claimed to be a “family-friendly personality. (Image enhanced using AI)

The court further noted that the “Drishyam” actor was entitled to seek an injunction against the use of his personality rights by third parties for selling merchandise for their commercial gains, without his authorisation.

In the plea, Ajay’s counsel submitted that he has starred in numerous “successful films,” received several “national and international awards”, including multiple National Film Awards. 

Apart from acting, directing and producing, and founding a visual effects studio, he has claimed that he is associated with various brands such as “Vimal, Lakhani, Amul Comfy, Pushp, Dabur Babool” etc, and is a “family-friendly personality”.

Why this matters

The surge in the number of celebrities approaching the courts for their publicity rights underscores several aspects, including the infringement of the right to life and personal liberty of the celebrities and known faces.

It also reflected the growing concern over the unchecked use of AI tools and social media platforms that blur the line between reality and manipulation.

Personality rights in a nutshell. (Image generated using AI)

What to expect in 2026

In 2026, with the legal awareness and regular coverage of such cases in the media, we are likely to see an increase in celebrities seeking judicial intervention to safeguard their publicity and personality rights against unauthorised exploitation.

Moreover, this trend is expected to extend beyond public figures, as private individuals increasingly approach the courts to protect their own likeness, voice, and personal attributes from misuse.