The Bombay High Court has granted interim protection to actor Preity Zinta in her personality rights suit against Google LLC and several online platforms, directing the removal and blocking of AI-generated deepfakes, fake chatbot personas, manipulated images, GIFs, and other unauthorised content exploiting her identity.
Justice Madhav J. Jamdar held that the actor had made out a strong prima facie case and observed that the unauthorised use of her personality through artificial intelligence technologies violated her personality rights, publicity rights, and moral rights. The ad-interim relief will continue until further orders.
The suit alleges widespread misuse of the actor’s identity across digital platforms through AI-generated deepfake videos, morphed photographs, voice simulations, chatbot personas, merchandise, GIFs, and manipulated content falsely suggesting endorsements or associations with her. According to the plaint, over 275 infringing URLs hosted on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and X were identified.
It was contended that the actor’s name, image, likeness, distinctive dimpled smile, voice, mannerisms, caricatures and overall public persona constitute valuable personality traits over which she enjoys exclusive control. She argued that the unauthorised commercial exploitation of these attributes not only infringed her publicity rights but also damaged her reputation and violated her moral rights under Section 38-B of the Copyright Act, 1957.
The Court noted that the material placed on record disclosed extensive use of AI-generated deepfakes and manipulated content that falsely depicted or imitated the actor, including chatbot services allowing users to interact with AI personas purportedly representing her. It also took note of allegations that unauthorised merchandise bearing her name and likeness was being sold online.
Observing that such content had the potential to cause irreparable harm, the Court held that once deepfake material is disseminated online, it is capable of unlimited replication, resulting in permanent dilution of an individual’s personality rights and public image.
The Court further observed that the plaintiff’s personality and publicity rights stem from the constitutional guarantees under Articles 19(1)(a) and 21, including the right to privacy and the right to live with dignity, and that her moral rights under the Copyright Act had also been prejudicially affected by the impugned content.
Accordingly, the Court directed Google, YouTube, Meta, X and other intermediaries to take down, remove or block the identified infringing content within 72 hours. It also ordered them to remove future infringing URLs notified by the plaintiff within the same timeframe, subject to their liberty to approach the Court if they believe the notified content is not infringing.
The Court restrained various defendants from using or exploiting Preity Zinta’s name, image, voice, likeness, persona or other personality attributes through AI chatbots, digital avatars, deepfakes, face morphing, GIFs or other technologies without her consent. It also directed certain platforms to block AI characters created using her identity, prevent the creation of new AI characters bearing her name, image or voice, and ordered domain registrars to disclose details of registrants hosting infringing content upon request.
Noting that the defendants had not opposed the grant of interim relief but had raised practical concerns regarding future takedown requests, the Court clarified that intermediaries could communicate objections where notified URLs contained genuine content and would remain at liberty to seek further directions from the Court. The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 3, 2026, with the interim protection continuing until further orders.
