Naga Chaitanya approaches court over personality rights and defamatory AI content
The counsel told the court that it was 'trolling' and not 'fair criticism'
Actor Naga Chaitanya has moved the Delhi High Court seeking protection against what he described as the rampant misuse of his identity online, including explicit material, AI-generated deepfakes and unauthorised commercial use of his image.
Justice Jyoti Singh heard the matter after Senior Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar, appearing for the actor, submitted that several websites were using Naga Chaitanya’s name alongside explicit search terms to attract traffic and circulate objectionable content. The Court was also shown unauthorised merchandise listings featuring the actor’s likeness.
Among the concerns highlighted in court were videos and posts allegedly showing Chaitanya in obscene or fabricated situations created using artificial intelligence and digital manipulation tools.
The lawsuit further alleges that deepfake technology, voice-cloning software and AI-based editing tools were being used to circulate false audiovisual material for monetary benefit, severely impacting the actor’s reputation, privacy and public standing.
Chaitanya’s legal team also pointed to online stores and listings selling merchandise featuring his likeness without permission. During the hearing, his counsel stressed that the actor is one of Telugu cinema’s leading stars and noted that similar personality rights protections had earlier been granted to his father, actor Nagarjuna.
The court was additionally informed about several defamatory YouTube uploads targeting Chaitanya. While some links had reportedly been taken down, others connected to media coverage were still accessible online.
Justice Singh observed during the proceedings that although celebrities are subject to greater public scrutiny, there are boundaries that cannot be crossed. “You are in public life, you are certainly more vulnerable than the rest of the people, but it has its limitations,” the judge remarked, as quoted by ANI. The court also reportedly described one of the disputed links as “borderline”.
Arguing that such material appears online almost every day, Chaitanya’s lawyer requested a dynamic injunction to tackle future uploads and mirror links.
The High Court has now issued summons in the matter and indicated that an interim order will follow. The next hearing has been scheduled for September 30.
