Delhi High Court Grants Interim Injunction to Protect Raj Shamani's Personality and Publicity Rights

Court orders removal of unauthorized content using Shamani’s persona, blocks infringing content, and mandates disclosure of user details.

In a significant judgment, the Delhi High Court has granted an interim injunction in favor of the renowned content creator and entrepreneur, Raj Shamani, against various defendants for unauthorized use of his personality rights. The court's decision, delivered by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, aims to protect Shamani's name, likeness, image, voice, and other distinctive elements from unauthorized exploitation for commercial or personal gain.

The lawsuit, filed under CS(COMM) 1233 of 2025, sought a permanent injunction against trademark infringement, copyright infringement, and violation of Shamani’s publicity rights. Shamani, who is also a podcaster and author, argued that his personality and brand were being misused by various digital platforms and entities without his consent. The court acknowledged the prima facie case presented by Shamani and noted his standing as a well-known public figure with significant goodwill and reputation.

The court ordered an ex-parte ad-interim injunction against the defendants, restraining them from exploiting Shamani's persona through AI and deepfake technology or any other means. The court directed social media platforms, including Meta and Google, to block and remove infringing content. Additionally, the platforms were instructed to disclose the Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) details of unknown entities involved in the unauthorized activities.

The judgment emphasized the protection of Shamani's registered trademarks and copyrighted works, including his podcast series "Figuring Out." The court highlighted the misuse by defendants who used Shamani’s image and likeness to mislead consumers into believing false endorsements or affiliations.

The court also addressed the issue of parody and satire, suggesting that such content should be handled separately to avoid complicating the trial. In light of the urgency and involvement of unknown entities, the court exempted the case from pre-litigation mediation under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015.

The defendants have been given 72 hours to comply with the court's directives, and the case is scheduled for further proceedings in April 2026.

Bottom Line:

Protection of Personality Rights and Publicity Rights - Prima facie case made out for restraining unauthorized use of Plaintiff's name, likeness, image, voice, and distinctive elements for commercial or personal gain without authorization - Interim injunction granted against infringing Defendants and directions issued to remove infringing content and disclose Basic Subscriber Information details of unknown entities.

Statutory provision(s): Trademark Act, 1999, Copyright Act, 1957, Commercial Courts Act, 2015, Code of Civil Procedure, 1908

Raj Shamani v. John Doe/ Ashok Kumar, (Delhi) : Law Finder Doc Id # 2811066