Bombay High Court has taken a major legal move by protecting Bollywood singer Arijit Singh’s personality rights against unauthorised use by artificial intelligence (AI) creators. The court has issued a restraining order that bans several third parties from exploiting Singh’s name, voice, mannerisms, and other personal attributes without his approval.
According to Live Law India, Justice Riyaz Chagla highlighted the escalating issue of AI technologies being used to exploit celebrities’ personal traits. The ruling addresses the misuse of Singh’s likeness by entities aiming to profit from his image and voice without permission. This significant decision marks a proactive step in safeguarding celebrity rights in the digital age.
Court Restriction On Commercial & Personal Use Of Arijit Singh’s Personality
The court’s order prohibits using Singh’s name, vocal style, and photos for any commercial or personal gain. This ban extends across various media platforms, including online sites, advertisements, promotional materials, and merchandise. Importantly, it also covers AI technologies such as voice models, voice conversion tools, digital avatars, and deepfake tech that mimic Singh’s persona.
Justice Chagla stressed, “Even though freedom of speech and expression allows for critique and commentary, it does not grant the license to exploit a celebrity’s persona for commercial gain.” The ruling aims to prevent the wrongful exploitation of Singh’s personality rights and ensures that any AI-generated content replicating his traits is legally addressed.
The court’s concern revolves around how unauthorized AI tools can manipulate and misuse a celebrity’s identity. These tools enable the creation of fake sound recordings, videos, and other content, potentially harming the celebrity’s career and public image. Justice Chagla noted that such technologies undermine a celebrity’s control over their own identity.
Highlighting the risks, Justice Chagla remarked, “Making AI tools available that enable the conversion of any voice into that of a celebrity without his/her permission constitutes a violation of the celebrity’s personality rights.” This underscores the economic and reputational risks posed by such technologies.
The AI Misuse Can Jeopardise The Livelihood Of Arijit Singh
The ruling also addressed how misuse of Singh’s name, voice, and image could endanger his livelihood. The judge observed that the defendants were using Singh’s popularity to attract traffic to their platforms, leading to potential abuse of his personality rights. Unauthorized content created in Singh’s name could cause significant economic harm and jeopardise his career.
Singh’s counsel, advocate Hiren Kamod, noted that AI creators had been using Singh’s voice and mannerisms without consent. Singh’s image and name were also being exploited on various online platforms and merchandise.
The Bombay High Court has mandated the removal of all content violating Singh’s personality rights. The court will reconvene on September 2, 2024, to review the case further and ensure compliance with the restraining order.
(Also read: Ankit Tiwari And Arijit Singh Set To Collaborate Together Again After 10 Years Of ‘Aashiqui 2’)
Stay tuned with us for latest news, Hindi box office news, Hollywood news, OTT news, latest bollywood news and latest box office news.
