Case laws & Appeals of Decisions of the IP Office

Trademarks Patents ▪ Designs ▪ Plant Varieties Personality Rights Right to Information (RTI)

Jackie Shroff vs. The Peppy Store & Ors.
15 May 2024, Delhi High Court

Actor Jackie Shroff sued multiple defendants for unauthorized commercial use of his name, image, voice, and persona, seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights.

He alleged that the Defendants sold merchandise featuring his name and likeness on ecommerce platforms; altered videos, using captions like "Thug Life" on YouTube creators & meme pages, which he claimed misrepresented him; exploited his persona without consent on AI chatbots and content platforms and misused his name in misleading links on Pornographic websites

The Court issued an interim injunction barring the Defendants from acts of commercial misuse or reputational harm; directed the Government Agencies (DoT/MeitY) to block the infringing URLs; and restrained use of Shroff’s persona commercially.

The YouTube content creator’s “Thug Life” video was not immediately restrained as it was seen as a tribute and not harmful.



Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu vs. Arebumdum & Ors.
1 October 2024, Delhi High Court

Actor Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu filed a suit against multiple YouTube channels and online platforms for unauthorized use of his name, image, voice, and persona for commercial gain. He alleged defamation, infringement of copyright, personality rights, and unfair competition.

The Plaintiff alleged that the Defendants had used AI to manipulate his face and voice in videos, creating misleading content; YouTube channels had monetized defamatory videos by using his persona; and his name was misused on pornographic websites, harming his reputation.

The Court’s issued an Interim Order restraining the Defendants from using the Plaintiff’s name, image, or voice for commercial or personal gain.

Government Agencies DoT & MeitY were directed to block infringing links and content. YouTube was ordered to remove specific URLs hosting defamatory content. Plaintiff was allowed to request further removals, with YouTube required to provide details of infringing users.