Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Indian Courts Tighten Protections for Image, Voice and Likeness

Emergency court orders to halt AI deepfakes have highlighted gaps that lawyers say require a dedicated personality‑rights statute.

Overview

  • Courts across India are increasingly granting fast interim relief to stop AI deepfakes, voice cloning and synthetic endorsements by using emergency injunctions and orders that can name unknown defendants.
  • Judges are also issuing dynamic takedown orders for intermediaries and platform restraints to remove imposter content quickly and allow plaintiffs to add new defendants later.
  • The Bombay High Court’s working test of public recognition, identifiability and commercial exploitation is guiding decisions about who counts as protected for personality‑rights claims.
  • Rulings have extended protection beyond entertainers to public figures such as doctors, but ordinary individuals still face higher hurdles unless they can show clear economic or reputational harm.
  • Lawyers warn that judicial gap‑filling stops immediate harm but leaves open recurring questions on posthumous rights, fair use and platform duties, increasing calls for a focused statute to give predictable rules and curb fraud.