Bombay High Court Protects Akshay Kumar’s Personality Rights, Restrains Circulation of Deepfake Videos

The Bombay High Court granted an ex parte injunction protecting actor Akshay Kumar’s personality rights after AI-generated deepfake videos using his likeness surfaced online.

Justice Arif S. Doctor noted that the impersonation was of “alarming realism,” making it difficult to distinguish from genuine content, as the clips falsely portrayed the actor making political and offensive remarks, causing public confusion and reputational harm.

The court restrained unknown persons (John Doe) and online platforms from sharing such content, holding that unauthorised use of his image, voice, or persona violates publicity and moral rights and endangers personal safety and public order.

[Akshay Kumar v John Doe and Ors]