The Delhi High Court has permanently barred multiple individuals and entities from using legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan’s name, image, voice, likeness, and unique persona for commercial gain without explicit authorisation. Delivering the judgment, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav passed a final decree in the commercial suit instituted by the actor in 2022 to combat the unauthorised exploitation of his identity across mobile apps, online domains, poster sales, and quiz books.
The ruling elevates an interim injunction originally granted in November 2022 into a binding, permanent court order. By doing so, the High Court firmly safeguarded the actor’s publicity and privacy rights under common law and intellectual property principles, reaffirming that a public figure’s persona cannot be commercialised to deceive consumers or suggest false endorsements.
Compromise with Settling Parties and Action Against Defaulters
The court arrived at its decree by balancing compromise settlements alongside summary judgments. Four named defendants—including the creator of a fake video-call app, a publisher of an unauthorised quiz book, a merchandise poster seller, and a domain registrant—entered into formal settlement agreements. They surrendered their infringing assets, undertook not to misuse the actor’s identity in the future, and were discharged from monetary damages.
Against four other non-appearing defendants who failed to file written responses, the bench invoked its powers under Order VIII Rule 10 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The court observed that the unauthorised commercial use of Bachchan’s identity presented no disputed questions of fact requiring a full trial, enabling a direct decree to protect his commercial goodwill.
