Jackie Shroff 'Grateful' As Delhi HC Protects His Personality Rights: 'Crucial To Control Misuse of...'

Jackie Shroff has issued a statement thanking the Delhi High Court for protecting his personality rights. In his statement, Jackie shared that he is “grateful” of the court and talked about why it is important to prevent the misuse of a celebrity’s attributes. Recently, the High Court issued an injunction against those misusing Shroff’s name, image, voice or any other personal attributes.

“I am immensely grateful to the judiciary for passing an order that safeguards my personality rights, including my name, image, likeness, voice, and other unique attributes. For a long time, celebrities had little to no recourse against the misuse of their persona. However, I am heartened by the fact that courts have progressively recognized and protected these rights, as demonstrated in landmark cases involving Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and Mr. Anil Kapoor. These precedents have been very encouraging and motivated me to assert my rights,” Jackie Shroff said in his statement.

“In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, particularly with the advent of digital media, it is crucial to control any unauthorized use and misuse of celebrity attributes. Celebrities wield significant influence, and such abuse can mislead the public regarding a celebrity’s association with certain goods or services. The misuse of celebrity personas not only dilutes our brand equity but also misguides the public at large,” the statement continued.

“The Delhi High Court appreciated our case and recognized the necessity of protecting the personality rights of celebrities, given our wide reach to the masses. The court has upheld my personality rights and issued an injunction against those misusing my name, image, likeness, voice, and other personal attributes. This protection extends to all forms of media, including digital platforms, and specifically prohibits the use of AI, deep fakes, GIFs, AI chatbots, and similar technologies to exploit my persona without my explicit permission,” it added.

Jackie concluded his statement by mentioned that it is important to protect his personality rights so that his fans aren’t misled. “Protecting my personality rights is essential to preserving the authenticity and respect associated with my life’s work. It also protects my fans from being misled by unscrupulous elements of society. I thank the judiciary for their support in this regard,” he said.

This is not the first time a Bollywood actor sought permission to protect his personality rights. Last year, Anil Kapoor had also approached the court to protect his personality rights. The actor won the case in January this year. The victory resulted in the protection of his name, voice, image, likeness, manner of speaking and gestures, and even the ‘jhakaas’ catchphrase.