Bollywood star Jackie Shroff has taken legal action to safeguard his identity and rights to publicity. He filed a case at the Delhi High Court against several parties for using his name, pictures, voice, and the term “Bhidu” without his permission. The court, led by Justice Sanjeev Narula, listened to the case and summoned the defendants. The hearing is set for tomorrow, where the court will consider issuing an interim order.
Jackie Shroff claims that these entities are exploiting his name, image, and voice for commercial gain without his consent. His lawyer, Pravin Anand, argued that this violates Shroff’s personality and publicity rights.
Anand cited past cases involving actors like Anil Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan, where their personality rights were upheld.
Anand pointed out that one defendant was operating a restaurant using the trademarked term “Bhidu,” owned by Jackie Shroff. Some defendants, notified in advance, stopped using Jackie Shroff’s images and voice, but others failed to appear in court. Anand argued that they should be stopped from further misuse.
He stressed that personality rights are essential and cannot be violated without consent. Some defendants were using Shroff’s images on various merchandise without permission, akin to counterfeiting. Anand also mentioned memes and videos using Jackie Shroff’s likeness, which he deemed defamatory.
Last year, in a similar case involving Anil Kapoor, the court acknowledged that fame can have drawbacks, including damage to one’s reputation. While free speech and criticism are protected, crossing the line into tarnishing an individual’s personality is illegal.
