Megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s name, image, voice or personality traits cannot be used without his permission, the Delhi High Court said on Friday as it heard the actor’s petition seeking protection of his personality rights.
Representing Bachchan, top lawyer Harish Salve said there are t-shirts and posters with the actor’s face on them and that someone has registered a website domain name called “amitabhbachchan.com”.
“I am just giving a flavour of what is going on. Someone is making t-shirts and started putting his face on them. Someone is selling his poster. Someone has gone and registered a domain name, amitabhbachchan.com. This is why we have come…,” Bar and Bench quoted Salve as saying.
The actor’s petition said his name, image and voice were being used by app developers to illegally conduct lotteries by associating with Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), the iconic quiz show that Amitabh Bachchan hosts.
“It cannot seriously be disputed that the plaintiff is a well-known personality and is also represented in various advertisements. The plaintiff is aggrieved by the defendants using his celebrity status to promote their own goods and services without his permission or authorisation,” Justice Navin Chawla of Delhi High Court said.