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The Delhi High Court has passed an order protecting the personality and publicity rights of acclaimed actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr. (Jr NTR), marking a major legal development amid growing concerns over digital misuse and AI-generated content involving public figures.
Delhi High Court grants Jr NTR protection over name, image and ai misuse; recognises his celebrity status
The order follows a petition filed by the actor, citing widespread unauthorised and industrial exploitation of his identity across various platforms. Being attentive to the submissions, the Court granted protection to Jr NTR’s personality rights, restraining unauthorised use of his name, image, likeness, and associated attributes.
As a part of the relief, the Court prolonged protection to the unauthorised industrial use of identifiers corresponding to “NTR”, “Jr. NTR”, “NTR Jr.”, “Tarak”, “Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr.”, “Jr. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao”, in addition to popular sobriquets including “Man of Masses” and “Young Tiger”. The protection also covers his image, likeness, and related persona. The Court directed that any unauthorised usage, if found, should be taken down in accordance with applicable laws.
Importantly, at a prima facie stage, the Hon’ble Court expressly recognised that Jr NTR has attained celebrity status in India, having built immense goodwill and fame over the course of a successful profession. The Court observed that his name, image, and likeness are uniquely related to him in the general public domain, entitling him to proprietary rights over his personality and related attributes.
The Court further noted that personality and publicity rights form an integral a part of the best to life and freedom under Articles 19 and 21 of the Structure of India, and are enforceable under existing legal frameworks including the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Trade Marks Act, 1999.
As well as, intermediary platforms have been directed to treat the plaint as a statutory grievance under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and to act upon identified infringing links throughout the prescribed timelines.
The order also includes directions against unidentified and anonymous entities, commonly known as John Doe defendants, restraining any person from misappropriating or exploiting Jr NTR’s personality rights through merchandise, digital content, morphed visuals, AI-generated material, or other technological means for industrial gain or misuse.
The ruling highlights the judiciary’s evolving approach to safeguarding individual identity within the digital age and reinforces the responsibility of platforms and third parties to make sure lawful and respectful use of a public figure’s persona. Any misuse that harms or damages the actor’s fame, the Court observed, would attract serious legal consequences under the law.
Also Read: Anil Kapoor to duel with Jr NTR in Prashanth Neel’s Dragon
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