Bombay High Court bars unauthorised use of Shatrughan Sinha’s name, voice, images and iconic “Khamosh” on digital platforms, reinforcing celebrity personality rights amid AI and social media misuse.
In a landmark ruling safeguarding celebrity personality rights, the Bombay High Court has held that veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha’s iconic dialogue “Khamosh” is exclusively associated with his persona, and barred the unauthorised use of his name, voice, images and other personal attributes on digital platforms.
Court prohibits misuse of Sinha’s iconic ‘Khamosh’
Passing an interim order on February 16, Justice Sharmila Deshmukh directed all websites and social media platforms to immediately take down content that misuses Sinha’s identity, including his likeness, voice, style and the famous punchline “Khamosh”. The court also prohibited the future creation or uploading of such content without his explicit consent.
The order came in response to a petition filed by Sinha, seeking protection of his personality rights and a permanent injunction against the unauthorised commercial exploitation of his persona, particularly through digitally manipulated and AI-generated content.
Content misusing ‘Khamosh’ to be silenced
In its observations, the High Court noted that Sinha’s distinctive style of dialogue delivery, especially his trademark “Khamosh”, is inseparably linked to his public identity. The court said, _“_It needs no reinforcement that the expression ‘Khamosh’, delivered by the plaintiff in his unique and distinct style, is associated exclusively with his persona.”
The bench further observed that there is a prima facie case of infringement of Sinha’s personality and privacy rights, citing multiple instances where his name, voice and likeness were misused online for commercial gain. The court highlighted how advancements in artificial intelligence have worsened the issue, with deepfakes and digitally forged content posing serious reputational risks to public figures.
Protecting personality rights in the era of AI
“The use of artificial intelligence to produce images and videos by morphing the plaintiff’s face tarnishes his reputation and goodwill,” the court said, stressing the urgent need to protect personality rights in the digital age.
The High Court has listed the matter for further hearing on March 30, even as it ordered the immediate deletion of all infringing material.
This ruling is being seen as a significant step towards reinforcing celebrity personality rights in India, especially amid the rapid rise of AI-driven content creation and social media exploitation.
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