Delhi High Court Restrains Misuse Of Tabu's Identity; Orders Google, Meta, X, Reddit To Remove AI-Generated Content

The Delhi High Court has granted an ex-parte interim injunction protecting Bollywood star Tabu from unauthorised use of her name, image, voice, photographs and other personality attributes, including through Artificial Intelligence, deepfakes, face morphing and other digital technologies.
Justice Jyoti Singh, who heard a petition filed by the actor, directed major digital platforms including Google, Meta, X and Reddit to remove or disable access to a large number of URLs allegedly carrying unauthorised and objectionable content relating to Tabu.
The Court further ordered certain platforms and domain service providers to disclose Basic Subscriber Information and IP log details connected with the accounts or content. 
The Court's order came on Tabu's suit seeking protection of her personality and publicity rights. The actress had alleged that her identity was being commercially exploited online through fake event-booking accounts, unauthorised merchandise, fabricated statements and AI-generated or manipulated obscene content.
The Court observed that Tabu's name and stage name 'Tabu', along with her image, voice, likeness and other personality attributes, have acquired unique distinctiveness and are instantly associated with her by the public.
Justice Singh held that Tabu had made out a prima facie case for grant of an ex-parte ad-interim injunction and that the balance of convenience lay in her favour. The Court further found that she was likely to suffer irreparable harm if interim protection was not granted.
The Court noted that personality rights have previously been recognised and protected by the Delhi High Court in cases including D.M. Entertainment v. Baby Gift House, Anil Kapoor v. Simply Life India and Jaikishan Kakubhai Saraf v. Peppy Store.
It said unauthorised use of a famous person's name, image or other distinctive attributes for commercial purposes can amount to infringement, dilute the individual's unique identity and result in unearned commercial gain by third parties.
A significant aspect of the case was Tabu's allegation that AI-generated obscene images, videos and GIFs were being circulated online by manipulating excerpts from her films, interviews and public appearances.
According to the plaint, some movie scenes had allegedly been edited, slowed down or zoomed in to focus on intimate portions and were then circulated online to attract viewers and generate revenue.
The Court observed that uploading and disseminating AI-generated videos containing deliberately edited content from movies, public appearances or interviews, with the objective of sensationalising the material and diverting traffic for monetary gains, was causing irreparable harm to Tabu's goodwill, reputation and commercial value.
The Court has restrained Defendants 1 to 7, including unidentified John Does, from using, exploiting or misappropriating any attribute of Tabu's personality or publicity rights without her consent or authorisation.
The restraint covers her stage name 'Tabu', her real name Tabassum Jamal Hashmi, voice recordings and duplications, signatures and initials, images, photographs and movie stills.
Importantly, the injunction specifically covers misuse through AI, Generative AI, Machine Learning, deepfakes, face morphing and GIFs, and applies to websites, mobile applications, social media, the Metaverse and other physical or virtual mediums. 
The actress had also complained about an online publication carrying a fabricated and disparaging statement purportedly attributed to her.
Her case was that she had never made the statement and that her team had already issued clarifications to leading newspapers. Despite this, the publication allegedly continued carrying the material.
The Court termed the publication, which Tabu had categorically denied, an "egregious act", observing that its continuation despite the denial was concerning and appeared intended to sensationalise the content and earn money.
The concerned publisher has been restrained from circulating or disseminating the statement and directed to delete and take it down from all its platforms within three days of receiving the Court's order.
The Court issued specific directions to major online intermediaries. Google LLC has been directed to remove, disable or take down 21 URLs in one set, eight URLs in another and five URLs in another, within 36 hours of receiving the order.
Meta Platforms Inc. has been directed to remove or disable 73 URLs in Document-A, 28 URLs in Document-B and five URLs in Document-C, also within 36 hours.
X Corp. has been directed to take down three identified URLs, while eBay Inc. has been directed to remove URLs at serial numbers 15 to 20 in Document-C. Reddit Inc. has also been directed to take down specified URLs within the same 36-hour period.
Thus, the order covers more than 150 specifically identified URLs across the various platforms, apart from directions concerning certain domains and other online material.
In another significant direction, the Court ordered Google, Meta, X, Reddit and GoDaddy, as applicable, to disclose Basic Subscriber Information and IP log details to Tabu.
The direction could assist the actress in identifying the persons behind the accounts and online material allegedly exploiting her identity and personality rights.
The suit also concerns an Instagram account which allegedly offered bookings for Tabu's appearances and performances. The actress told the Court that she had no association with the account and had never authorised anyone to make bookings on her behalf.
According to the plaint, the account had around 2,000 followers and allegedly used her name, images and video clips to create an impression of an association with her. The Court's interim restraint covers such unauthorised commercial exploitation of her personality attributes. 
Tabu also alleged that websites were selling mugs, posters, calendars, hoodies, sweatshirts and other merchandise featuring her photographs.
Her counsel argued that such use created an unauthorised commercial nexus with the actor and amounted to exploitation of the commercial value attached to her persona.
The Court stressed that misuse of personality rights is not confined to commercial loss.
It observed that unauthorised exploitation of the attributes of famous personalities can cause not only commercial detriment but can also affect their privacy, personality and right to live with dignity.
The Court found that the alleged false and disparaging publication had caused immense harm to Tabu's reputation and violated her right to live with dignity. 
The Court also noted Tabu's long-standing career and reputation, referring to her performances across Indian and international cinema, her Padma Shri, two National Awards and other honours. It recorded that she has millions of followers, including around 3.2 million followers on Instagram, and has been associated with several prominent brands. 
The High Court has formally registered the plaint as a commercial suit and issued summons to the defendants.
The remaining defendants have been directed to file their written statements within 30 days of receiving summons. The matter concerning discovery, production and inspection of documents has also been taken up.
The application seeking discovery and inspection has been issued notice, with the matter returnable before the Court on December 7, 2026. 
The interim injunction will operate until the next date of hearing, subject to further orders of the Court. The order does not finally decide the allegations in the suit; the directions are interim protections granted after the Court found a prima facie case and the likelihood of irreparable harm. (ANI)