The court restrains unauthorized use of Swami Ramdev’s likeness in AI-generated content, ensuring protection of his publicity rights and reputation.
In a significant ruling, the Delhi High Court has granted an interim injunction in favor of Swami Ramdev, a renowned yoga guru, in a case concerning the unauthorized use of his personality attributes, including his name, voice, image, and likeness. The judgment, delivered by Justice Jyoti Singh on February 18, 2026, addresses the exploitation of Swami Ramdev's identity across various digital platforms through AI-generated content and deepfake videos.
Swami Ramdev had approached the court seeking protection of his personality/publicity rights against the unauthorized use and exploitation of his persona by various defendants, including social media platforms and e-commerce websites. The court found that such acts amounted to misappropriation and exploitation of Swami Ramdev's goodwill, causing irreparable harm and dilution of his persona.
The court has restrained the defendants from further unauthorized usage of Swami Ramdev's attributes without his consent, for both commercial and personal gain. The order specifically directs intermediaries and platforms to disable and block URLs hosting infringing content.
Justice Jyoti Singh observed that Swami Ramdev has attained a unique public identity due to his unparalleled contributions in the fields of yoga, Ayurveda, and spirituality. His personality attributes, such as his name, image, and voice, have acquired commercial distinctiveness and are exclusively associated with him.
The court also addressed the defendants' argument that some content constituted parody or satire, permissible under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. However, it reserved the rights of the parties to address these arguments in future proceedings.
The interim relief granted by the court ensures the protection of Swami Ramdev's reputation and rights until the next hearing. The court emphasized that the balance of convenience lies in Swami Ramdev's favor, given the potential irreparable harm to his reputation and goodwill.
The judgment sets a precedent in recognizing the enforceable and exclusive right of public figures to control the commercial use of their persona. The court's decision underscores the importance of protecting personality rights in the digital age, where unauthorized use of identity through AI and deepfake technologies poses significant challenges.
Bottom Line:
Personality/Publicity Rights - Unauthorized use of a public figure's name, voice, image, or likeness for commercial gain constitutes a violation of personality/publicity rights and amounts to passing off and copyright infringement.
Statutory provision(s): Copyright Act, 1957, Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, Order XXXIX Rules 1 and 2 CPC, Section 151 CPC, Commercial Courts Act, 2015, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.
Swami Ramdev v. John Doe (S), (Delhi) : Law Finder Doc id # 2857772
