Vivek Oberoi Moves Delhi High Court For Protection Of His Personality Rights

Actor and entrepreneur Vivek Oberoi has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking to protect his personality rights and prevent the alleged misuse of his name and image across digital platforms. He claims that fake social media profiles, unauthorised merchandise, and AI-generated deepfake content have been used to exploit his identity. The petition was filed through advocates Sana Raees Khan and Pranay Chitale.

According to the plea, Oberoi’s identity and personal attributes are being used without his consent. The defendants have allegedly created fake accounts using his photographs and personal details. The petition also notes that various e-commerce portals have become marketplaces for unauthorised merchandise, including posters, T-shirts, and postcards bearing his name. It raises concern over AI-generated content that misrepresents facts or depicts the actor in an offensive manner. Oberoi stated that this misuse has caused serious harm to his reputation and requested urgent directions from the court.

Personality rights give public figures the legal authority to control and protect the use of their identity, including name, image, and voice. Any commercial use of a celebrity’s fame must be authorised by the celebrity. In the past, courts have recognised and protected the personality rights of several public figures, including Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Kumar Sanu, Sunil Gavaskar, R. Madhavan, and Karan Johar.

Securing an ‘omnibus injunction’ would allow the celebrity to seek the swift takedown of fake accounts and morphed videos from platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and X. It would also prevent commercial use of the celebrity’s images by stores or corporations and bar AI firms from exploiting a protected voice for training technology.

Personality rights are designed to prevent unauthorised commercial use of a celebrity’s identity and reputation. Courts have noted that activities such as journalism, education, and legitimate satire generally fall under “fair use” and are lawful.