New Delhi, Sept 9: Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of her personality and publicity rights, alleging that several websites are unauthorisedly using her name to sell merchandise and circulating AI-generated morphed photographs.
On Tuesday, a bench led by Justice Tejas Karia said it would pass injunction orders against such websites and entities.
“Fraudulent intent” flagged
Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Rai, told the court that websites were falsely projecting affiliation with her. One site — aishwaryaworld.com — claimed to be the actor’s “official website” without authorisation. Another entity, Aishwarya Nation Wealth, even listed her as chairperson.
Sethi said several unknown entities (“John Does”) were misusing her persona to collect money, circulating morphed and intimate AI-generated images.
“There can be no right in favour of using her images, likeness, or persona. Her name and likeness are being used to satisfy someone’s sexual desires. It is very unfortunate,” Sethi argued.
Court seeks prompt action
Justice Karia, addressing Google’s counsel, requested takedown of the infringing links listed in Rai’s suit. He further observed that an injunction would be granted restraining such unauthorised usage.
Past concerns
This is not the first time the Bachchan family has moved the High Court. In 2023, they sought action against miscreants spreading false claims about their daughter Aaradhya Bachchan’s health, alleging the circulation of fake news and morphed images on YouTube.