Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has moved the Delhi High Court seeking protection of her publicity rights, alleging that websites are using her name to sell products without her permission and that her AI-generated objectionable pictures are being circulated online. The Indian Express reports.
The case came up before Justice Tejas Kariyar on Tuesday. Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing Aishwarya, said that several websites are doing business using Aishwarya’s name without permission. As an example, he mentioned a website called Aishwaryaraiworld.com, which claims to be Aishwarya Rai’s ‘official website’, although no such permission has been given by the actress.
Citing a more worrying example, Sethi said that another company has listed Aishwarya as its chairman in its official documents, even though the actress has no connection or consent to it.
Lawyer Sandeep Sethi told the court that an unknown person or organization is collecting money in Aishwarya’s name, and is even spreading obscene pictures created using artificial intelligence. In Sethi’s words, “These are not real pictures of Aishwarya, they are completely created using AI. Some intimate pictures have also been spread, which are completely fake and offensive.”
Sandeep Sethi further argues, ‘No one can use his picture, face or name without permission. Yet someone is earning money just by using his name and face, and his identity is being used to fulfill someone’s sexual desires, which is sad.’
The court asked Google’s lawyer to immediately remove the links listed by Aishwarya. The judge verbally said that the court will issue an injunction against such unauthorized use.
It is worth noting that the Bachchan family had also filed a case in the Delhi High Court in 2023. At that time, some videos on YouTube claimed that their daughter Aaradhya was seriously ill or dead. They also alleged that distorted images were used in those videos.
