Delhi HC protects Jaya Bachchan’s personality rights, declines immediate ban on film poster use

Delhi HC protects Jaya Bachchan’s personality rights, declines immediate ban on film poster use

Veteran actor and Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan has earned a key legal safeguard in the ongoing fight over personality rights. The Delhi High Court has ordered that her name, voice, and likeness cannot be used for commercial gain without her permission. The ruling strengthens her personal control over how her public image is exploited, particularly in the realm of digital and AI-generated content. However, the court has stopped short of placing a blanket ban on the use of her image in movie posters, at least for now.

The matter was heard by Justice Manmeet PS Arora, who made a clear distinction between an individual’s personality rights and the copyright rights held by film producers. While the court acknowledged Jaya Bachchan’s right to prevent unauthorized commercial use of her identity, it noted that film posters belong to the producers. Therefore, restricting their display without hearing the copyright owners would be premature.

“How do you claim copyright in the movie posters? Copyright vests in whoever is the owner of the movie… You don’t have any copyright. Let them be here. We’ll hear him out and we’ll see,” Justice Arora said during the hearing. The judge indicated that film posters, being original promotional assets, cannot be restricted unless the copyright holder is part of the case and is given a fair chance to respond.

The petition, filed through senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, argued that Jaya Bachchan's persona has been repeatedly misused online. Instances cited included unauthorized merchandise, misleading endorsements, and even AI-generated sexually explicit content, which has raised growing concerns about digital impersonation and deepfake misuse. The suit seeks a broader legal framework to protect her dignity and identity in the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.

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Interestingly, this move aligns Jaya Bachchan with other members of her family who have taken similar legal action. Amitabh Bachchan filed a petition in 2022 seeking protection from the misuse of his name, voice, and iconic dialogue styles in advertisements and merchandise. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan have also secured legal safeguards regarding unauthorized exploitation of their identities.

With the latest order, the court has indicated that while personality rights are enforceable, they interact closely with copyright law—especially in cases involving film publicity material. A more detailed judgment is expected, which will clarify these boundaries further and potentially serve as a reference for other public figures navigating similar legal challenges.