Allu Arjun moves Delhi High Court over misuse of identity and AI impersonation

Actor Allu Arjun has approached the Delhi High Court seeking urgent intervention to prevent the unauthorised use of his name, voice and likeness across digital platforms.

The matter was heard on Friday by Tushar Rao Gedela, who indicated that an interim order may be granted in favour of the actor.

Appearing on Arjun’s behalf, senior advocate Swathi Sukumar argued that the actor’s personality rights were being widely misused for commercial purposes. These included the sale of merchandise featuring his image and signature, as well as the operation of voice-cloning tools, artificial intelligence chatbots and the creation of objectionable content.

The court was told that certain applications allow users to interact with an AI-generated version of the actor, raising concerns over potential misuse, including fraud and impersonation. Counsel described such platforms as posing significant risks, particularly where they simulate video calls or voice interactions resembling the actor.

It was also submitted that Arjun holds registered trademarks over his name, strengthening his claim against unauthorised exploitation.

During the hearing, legal representatives for some of the platforms named in the case informed the court that several offending listings and products had already been removed. Counsel for major technology companies, including Meta and Google, stated that multiple links and applications flagged in the petition had been taken down.

The case adds to a growing number of similar petitions by public figures seeking to safeguard their personality and publicity rights in the digital space. Previously, celebrities such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Salman Khan, along with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary and entrepreneur Raj Shamani, have secured interim protection from the court.

More recently, relief has also been granted to cricketer Gautam Gambhir and actors Sonakshi Sinha and Vivek Oberoi in similar matters.

The court is expected to pass a formal interim order in the case shortly.

With PTI inputs