Delhi High Court injunct anyone to misuse of Salman Khan name, photos for sale of commercial merchandise

Court Demands Immediate Intervention on Misuse.

Delhi High Court has made a major order to guard the personality rights of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. This is a court order which is aimed at the unauthorized use of his name, pictures and voice in a commercial manner. The order was issued on Thursday by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, who would have acted on a plea made by the actor. The court has been very strict on the rampant abuse of the identity of the celebrities in the online world. It has ordered other groups to and immediately stop these unlawful activities.

The court direction is mainly concerned with the social media middlemen and online markets. Google, Meta, X (formerly Twitter), and Telegram have been ordered to do so as a matter of urgency. The judge had directed these technology giants to refer to the case that the actor filed as a formal complaint according to the rules that govern information technology. A very strict deadline of three days is set to discuss the grievances put on in the plea. This is to make sure that there are no extraneous delays in the process of removing infringing material.

The legal team of Salman Khan presented the magnitude of the infractions online in the court. They emphasized that so many websites and sellers are making money off the fame of the actor against his will. These groups are selling such items as t-shirts, mugs, and posters with his image. According to the lawsuit, such commercial exploitation does not only result in a financial loss but also misleads the people. These concerns were heeded by the court, and they ruled to intervene in order to protect his rights.

The rule also applies to the so-called John Doe, or unidentified persons or entities, defendants. In cyberspace, the actual offenders of the anonymous accounts are usually hard to track. The court caters to a broad spectrum of possible violators by making an order on these unknown parties. This is a proactive step that enables the removal of content regardless of whether the identity of the uploader is recognized or not. It is an invaluable legal aid to fight Internet piracy and identity theft.

Protection Against Commercial Exploitation.

The case that was brought by Salman Khan underlines the sole proprietorship of the persona. His counsel would claim that his name and image are capable of being of value to him as he has earned them over the decades. Any sale of products through illegal use of these assets is an infringement of his personality rights. The plea has included certain illustrations of the manner in which his brand is being watered down in low quality merchandise. It indicated that consumers are usually deceived into thinking that these products are approved by the star.

Another major facet of the argument was on the famous trademarks of the actor. Salman Khan owns the rights to such brands as Being Human and Being Strong that are connected with charity and fitness projects. It was presented before the court that counterfeit products bearing these brand names are being distributed on different e-commerce sites. This does not only contravene the law of trademarks, but it also damages the reputation of his charitable foundation. The intervention by the court is meant to put to halt this parallel illegal market which accommodates his goodwill.

The defense team of the social media sites filed that it is just an intermediary. They claimed not to produce the content but they host what is put by the user. The court however made it clear what they are supposed to do concerning the new IT Rules of 2021. It mentioned that after they are informed of a violation, they cannot be passive observers. They have the legal obligation of putting in place measures to block access to the infringing material within a given period.

Another area of concern that was scrutinized by the court was that of fan accounts that utilize the photos of the actor. Although the fan pages are usually considered as a kind of admiration, once there are commercial activities, the limit goes too far. During the hearing, the judge was concerned about the particular objections that fan accounts were made. The lawyer of the actor made it clear that it was an objection to the morphing images or selling goods accounts. The court agreed that the authentic fan activity can be performed, but commercial abuse in the name of fandom is unacceptable.

The menace of AI and Deepfakes.

One of the contemporary and topical issues that were brought up during this case is the application of Artificial Intelligence. The petition pointed to the use of AI tools in making deepfake videos of the actor. These are distorted videos that usually depict him as supporting advertisements or saying things that he never said. The court team provided evidence of such AI-generated content shared on the social media. According to them, this would be a great threat to his image and confidence.

The emergence of deepfake technology has ensured that it is very easy to take the guise of the citizens. In other cases, the voice of the actor was copied to market questionable financial deals. The court recognized that the current legislation has to be stringently applied in order to overcome this technological dilemma. Removal of these AI generated fakes is part of the order to the platforms. This is a precedent that digital spaces should be keen on artificial media that violate individual rights.

The decision made by Justice Arora is an indication of the increased judicial awareness of the threat of AI. The court observed that the rate at which such content diffuses demands a correspondingly quick response in form of a legal action. The High Court is putting pressure on the tech companies to enhance their monitoring systems by imposing a deadline of three days. It gives a message that the defense of the technology is neutral will not be applicable in cases where it is applied to infringe rights. It also covers the likeness of a celebrity even in digital and AI-generated avatars.

The entertainment industry as a whole is particularly concerned with this in this aspect of the judgment. The threat of cyber imitation of actors is an international issue as AI is enhanced. The action of Salman Khan in seeking legal protection against this is a bigger trend of celebrities seeking legal protection. The ruling by the court is a protective device, as it guarantees that algorithms are unable to steal the identity of a human being. It supports the idea that the virtual identity of a person is as secure as his or her physical one.