Actor Jackie Shroff, in a statement, has thanked the Delhi High Court for protecting his personality rights in a privacy case. On May 14, Jackie moved the Delhi High Court to file a petition seeking protection of his images, likeness, voice and using his iconic nickname 'Bhidu' without his permission. Delhi High Court ruled in favour of the actor, safeguarding his name, likeness, and nickname 'Bhidu'.
As per reports, in his statement, Jackie Shroff said that he is immensely grateful to the judiciary for passing an order that safeguards his personality rights, including his name, image, likeness, voice, and other unique attributes. ''For a long time, celebrities had little to no recourse against the misuse of their persona. However, I am heartened by the fact that courts have progressively recognised and protected these rights, as demonstrated in landmark cases involving Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and Mr. Anil Kapoor. These precedents have been very encouraging and motivated me to assert my rights,'' he stated.
The actor also stated the importance to safeguard actors’ privacy and attributes. He said, “In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, particularly with the advent of digital media, it is crucial to control any unauthorized use and misuse of celebrity attributes. Celebrities wield significant influence, and such abuse can mislead the public regarding a celebrity's association with certain goods or services.'' Shroff also added that the misuse of celebrity personas not only ''dilutes our brand equity but also misguides the public at large''.
In his statement, the 67-year-old actor further said, ''This protection extends to all forms of media, including digital platforms, and specifically prohibits the use of AI, deep fakes, GIFs, AI chatbots, and similar technologies to exploit my persona without my explicit permission''.
He concluded his statement, “Protecting my personality rights is essential to preserving the authenticity and respect associated with my life's work. It also protects my fans from being misled by unscrupulous elements of society. I thank the judiciary for their support in this regard.”
