Delhi High Court bars unauthorised use of Abhishek Sharma's name and photo

In a turn of interesting events, the Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to star India batter Abhishek Sharma by safeguarding his personality rights against unauthorised commercial exploitation. In an order issued on July 9, Justice Jyoti Singh ordered Meta Platforms and several other digital platforms to remove content and product listings that allegedly misused left-handed opener's name, photograph or identity. The court also barred the sharing of AI-generated stuff featuring the player and imposed prohibition on the sale of unauthorised merchandise associated with him.

Delhi High Court grants interim protection to Abhishek Sharma

As per PTI, the petition alleged that various social media handles had been using AI to create morphed images and video clips of Abhishek Sharma. It claimed that the manipulated content was sparking misinformation while also denting Abhishek's image, commercial interests.

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The petition also claimed that several online handles had circulated edited pictures of the star Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) containing abusive and objectionable content. It went on to claim that some sellers were marketing clothing and other merchandise featuring Sharma's name, picture and identity without his permission.

Justice Jyoti Singh observed that Abhishek Sharma has cemented himself as one of the star cricket players and enjoys significant international recognition. The court also observed that the material circulated online was "false and obscene" and showed in a negative light.

The court further noted that once someone's personality rights are recognised, they are legally entitled to protection against any unauthorised commercial use or exploitation of their identity.