Delhi HC’s Decision to Grant Personality Rights to Raj Shamani Signals India is Preparing for the AI World of Deepfakes and Manipulations. Though Slowly

Key Points:

The Delhi High Court has granted strong interim protection to podcaster and entrepreneur Raj Shamani, ordering the removal of unauthorised, misleading, and AI-generated content involving him from multiple online platforms. In an order dated November 17, 2025, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora held that Shamani has the right to safeguard his identity—including his name, image, voice, likeness, and persona—from distortion or commercial misuse. The court observed that morphed or fabricated content can seriously damage the reputation of a public figure, warranting urgent judicial intervention.

Shamani and his production company approached the court alleging that several platforms, booking websites, and digital creators were misusing his podcast clips, brand trademarks, and persona without permission. The court noted that Shamani, host of the widely popular “Figuring Out with Raj Shamani” podcast, has built substantial goodwill as a creator and entrepreneur. It also recognised that his registered wordmark and device mark for “FIGURING OUT” are protected under the Copyright Act, 1957.

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According to the plaintiffs, numerous digital entities were exploiting Shamani’s identity in different ways. Several YouTube channels were uploading his podcast clips without authorisation; booking portals falsely claimed to arrange paid interviews or speaking engagements; and one channel had copied his podcast’s visual style while using explicit references to his name. The court also noted that companies dealing in Himalayan water and dietary supplements had used his podcast clips to falsely imply endorsements. These actions, the plaintiffs argued, misled audiences and took unfair advantage of Shamani’s public image.

After reviewing the submissions, the court held that Shamani is a well-recognised figure in India’s digital ecosystem with valuable publicity rights. His name, image, voice, likeness, and visual identity were ruled to be protectable components of his personality. The court also highlighted the growing threat of deepfakes, voice cloning, and other AI-generated media, noting that such technologies can easily distort a person’s identity and mislead the public.

Justice Arora issued several directions as part of the interim relief. All identified defendants were restrained from using Shamani’s persona, trademarks, photographs, or videos for personal or commercial gain without his explicit consent. They were also barred from misusing the “FIGURING OUT” trademark in any form. Social media intermediaries were instructed to take down infringing content—including AI-generated, morphed, or deepfake material—and provide details of anonymous users responsible for such posts.

The court also noted that Shamani’s production company owns exclusive rights to all audio-visual material published on his official platforms. It recognised his significant brand value, endorsements, and public achievements—including representing India at the United Nations at age 16 and serving as a brand ambassador for ASUS ExpertBook Series—to affirm that his identity is central to his reputation and commercial interests.

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The order stated: “Therefore, prima facie, the Plaintiff No. 1’s personality traits and/or parts thereof, including the Plaintiff’s name, likeness, voice, image, are protectable elements of the Plaintiff’s personality rights.” The court stressed that Shamani must be protected from morphed, manipulated, or defamatory content—including deepfakes—as such distortions can erode his goodwill.

A John Doe order was passed restraining both named and unnamed entities from misappropriating or exploiting Shamani’s personality rights. Platforms including Google, Meta, and Telegram were directed to block or remove the infringing posts and disclose Basic Subscriber Information of the uploaders within 72 hours. Similar protections have recently been granted to several other well-known personalities, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Karan Johar, Kumar Sanu, Akkineni Nagarjuna, Ravi Shankar, and journalist Sudhir Chaudhary.

The matter has been listed for its next hearing on April 24, 2026, marking another significant step in the Indian judiciary’s approach to personality rights, unauthorised digital exploitation, and AI-driven identity manipulation.

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