The Delhi High Court has taken decisive action to protect the personality rights of renowned actress Tabu by ordering the removal of derogatory online content. In an interim order issued on August 6, Justice Jyoti Singh instructed various online platforms, including Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Google, X, Reddit, eBay, and GoDaddy, to eliminate content that infringes upon Tabu’s rights within 36 hours.
The Court also mandated these platforms to disclose the Basic Subscriber Information and IP log details of individuals who uploaded such content anonymously, with a deadline of three weeks for compliance.
Tabu approached the Court to seek the removal of AI-generated obscene materials and unauthorized merchandise sales that exploit her name and personality. Additionally, she requested action against entities misusing her identity for commercial gain or falsely advertising her performances at events.
Justice Singh, in the interim order, recognized Tabu’s significant influence and popularity, which grants her the right to safeguard her name and image from derogatory and misleading online content. The order noted, “Plaintiff (Tabu) is a world-renowned and critically acclaimed actress who has made a mark in the film industry both in India and internationally with her stellar performances over three decades. Her name, moniker, image, voice, likeness, and other attributes of her personality have gained unique distinctiveness and are instantly recognized by the public.”
The Court agreed with Tabu’s argument that the infringing AI-generated videos were causing irreparable harm to her reputation and the commercial value linked to her brand endorsements. Consequently, the Court granted interim relief to Tabu, prohibiting any misuse, exploitation, or misappropriation of her personality attributes.
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The next hearing is scheduled for December 7. Representing Tabu were Senior Advocate Swathi Sukumar and advocates Rohan Talwar, Deeksha Jani, Preksha Diwakar, Anirudh Bhatia, Jinay Jain, Rishika Aggarwal, Ritik Raghuwanshi, and Anshu Tulsyan. Advocates Mamta Rani Jha, Shruttima Ehersa, Aiswarya Debadarshini, and Jahanvi Agarwal appeared for Google. Advocates Varun Pathak, Radhika Roy, and Ashrika Mehra represented Meta Platforms. Advocates Deepak Gogia, Aadhar Nautiyal, and Shiwangi Kohli represented X Corp. Advocates Nitin Sharma, Angad Singh Makkar, and Brinda Nagaraja appeared for eBay. Advocates Surabhi Pande and Affan Moin appeared for Flipkart. Advocates Ankit Parhar, Adithya Nair, and Shreya Gupta appeared for Reddit. Advocates Mrinal Ojha, Debarshi Dutta, and Nikhil Gupta appeared for GoDaddy. Advocates Kruttika Vijay, Yash Raj, Suvarna Singh, and Harshitha Rathod appeared for the domain name registrar, Hosting Concepts.
