Abhishek Bachchan takes legal action in Delhi High Court against AI deepfakes.

Abhishek Bachchan Moves Delhi HC Against AI Deepfakes

• The Legal Battle Against Digital Impersonation and Celebrity Exploitation

• Targeting Rogue E-Commerce and YouTube Channels in Organized Networks

Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan has filed a suit in the Delhi High Court to protect his personality rights from unauthorized commercial exploitation. The plea targets websites and YouTube channels misusing his image, AI-generated deepfakes, and merchandise, citing significant harm to his reputation. This move follows a similar recent petition by his wife, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

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Abhishek Bachchan Moves Delhi HC Against AI Deepfakes, Seeks Personality Rights Protection from Rampant Misuse

•The Bollywood star’s legal action targets YouTube channels and e-commerce sites for unauthorized merchandise and AI-generated content, mirroring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s recent plea in a landmark case for celebrity rights.

In a significant move against digital impersonation and commercial exploitation, Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan has approached the Delhi High Court seeking comprehensive protection of his personality rights. The suit, Abhishek Bachchan v. The Bollywood Tee Shop & Ors, aims to prevent the widespread misuse of his name, image, likeness, voice, and performances by illicit websites and YouTube channels.

This legal action, as uncovered by the Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT), highlights an escalating crisis of AI-generated deepfakes and unauthorized merchandise targeting high-profile celebrities in India. The plea demands an immediate injunction to halt these entities from leveraging his persona for unapproved commercial or personal gains.

The Escalating Battle for Digital Identity and Celebrity Rights

The petition comes mere days after a similar high-profile filing by his wife, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, signaling a coordinated legal strategy against digital infringement. Bachchan’s counsel, Advocate Pravin Anand, presented a grave picture of the violations, which extend beyond mere image use to include sexually objectionable material and forged autographs.

The suit specifically cites the creation and distribution of AI-generated videos and deepfakes that distort the actor’s image, potentially causing severe reputational damage and public misunderstanding. This case establishes a critical precedent for the right to identity in the age of artificial intelligence.

During the hearing before Justice Tejas Karia, the court emphasized the need for a meticulous, defendant-specific approach for an effective takedown process. Justice Karia indicated a willingness to direct platforms like Google, YouTube, and Amazon to remove infringing content but required a detailed list of specific URLs for each defendant. “We can ask Google to take down. You have to give URL specific to each other… This order cannot be granted. It has to be divided defendant wise,” the judge stated, underscoring the procedural complexities in such digital rights cases.

Targeting Rogue E-Commerce and YouTube Channels in ED Probe-Linked Networks

Advocate Anand assured the court that his team would provide the necessary, segmented list of infringing URLs by the afternoon session, a request to which the court acquiesced. The defendants in the suit include a network of YouTube channels, the online marketplace Etsy (based in Ireland), and merchandise sites like the Bollywood Tee Shop. The Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT) notes that the scale of operation suggests organized commercial activity, often linked to larger hawala networks or unregulated crypto transactions for payment, raising questions that extend into financial oversight.

Beyond personality rights, Bachchan’s plea seeks protection against trademark infringement, passing off, unfair competition, and defamation. The suit argues that the unauthorized sale of wallpapers, T-shirts, and other merchandise constitutes dilution and tarnishment of his hard-earned reputation.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for January 15, 2026, allowing time for the defendants to be formally served and for the plaintiff to compile a comprehensive database of violations. This timeline sets the stage for a prolonged legal battle with far-reaching implications for the entertainment and e-commerce industries.

Also Read: ED Seizes ₹58 Cr in Dabba Trading and Betting Scam.

Setting a Legal Precedent Against AI Deepfakes and Unauthorized Merchandise

This case mirrors the legal principles being established in Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s concurrent petition, where Justice Karia also hinted at formulating a robust order to protect against image morphing and unauthorized use. The outcome of these cases is poised to become the foundational framework for personality rights law in India, affecting all public figures. It directly confronts the emerging threat of AI and deepfake technology, which enables malicious actors to create convincing but entirely fabricated content without consent.

The Bachchans’ dual lawsuits represent a watershed moment in Indian jurisprudence, moving to safeguard an individual’s identity from digital theft and manipulation. For policymakers and industry experts, this underscores the urgent need for updated regulatory measures that can keep pace with rapidly evolving technology. The Delhi High Court’s eventual rulings will provide critical guidance on balancing the right to publicity with the challenges posed by the digital economy, setting a legal precedent for years to come.