The Bombay High Court granted ad-interim relief to renowned playback singer Sonu Nigam, restraining a Bihar-based individual from using the name “Sonu Nigam” as his display name on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The Court passed the order in a commercial intellectual property suit filed by the singer, who alleged unauthorised use of his name, image, and persona by Defendant No. 1, who identified himself as “Sonu Nigam Singh.”
Justice R.I. Chagla noted that Defendant No. 1 had intentionally dropped his surname “Singh” from the display name while using the handle @SonuNigamSingh, thereby creating a misleading impression among the public. The Court was shown various instances where the Defendant posted politically charged and controversial statements using the display name “Sonu Nigam” and the Plaintiff’s photograph, causing members of the public to mistake the account as belonging to the singer.
The Plaintiff, who had exited the X platform in 2017, contended that this impersonation had caused reputational harm, confusion, and misattribution of views, including to political leaders and media houses. Several news outlets had wrongly attributed inflammatory content posted by the Defendant to the Plaintiff. Despite repeated attempts at clarification, including an Instagram post and direct appeals to the impersonator, the Defendant continued to exploit the Plaintiff’s goodwill.
Justice Chagla held that Sonu Nigam’s name had acquired distinctiveness akin to a trademark and that the Defendant’s conduct amounted to misrepresentation and passing off. The Court also found that the Defendant’s refusal to clarify his identity, coupled with active engagement under false pretenses, pointed to mala fide intent.
Balancing the Plaintiff’s right to privacy under Article 21 and the need to prevent further reputational damage, the Court passed an ex-parte ad-interim injunction restraining Defendant No. 1 from using “Sonu Nigam” per se as his display name. However, he was permitted to use his full name “Sonu Nigam Singh” provided it does not cause deception or confusion.
The matter is listed for further hearing on 4 August 2025.
Appearances:
Mr. Hiren Kamod with Mr. Janay Jain, Ms. Monisha Mane, Mr. Chandrajit Das and Mr. Prem Khullar i/b. Parinam Law Associates for the Applicant / Original Plaintiff
