Delhi HC bans unauthorised use of Jackie Shroff's name

The Delhi High Court has prohibited various entities from utilizing actor Jackie Shroff’s name, including sobriquets “Jackie” and “Jaggu Dadda”, voice, and images for commercial purposes without permission.

A single bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula stated that entities selling wallpapers, T-shirts, posters, etc., on e-commerce platforms, and operating an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot platform were prima facie violating the actor’s personality and publicity rights by exploiting and misappropriating his attributes.

The judge also issued the directive against two content creators who posted videos of Shroff containing “extremely profane words and abuses”.

The court noted that Shroff is a celebrity, entitling him to certain rights over his personality and associated attributes.

“The plaintiff has demonstrated a prima facie case for the grant of an ex-parte injunction. The balance of convenience lies in his favor and against defendant no. 3-4, 6-7, 13, and 14. Failure to grant an injunction in this case will result in irreparable harm to the Plaintiff, not only financially but also with his right to live with dignity,” observed the court.