MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court recently passed an interim order restraining several online platforms from using or exploiting the Bollywood singer Arijit Singh's personality rights and to remove and delete all such posts or content, voice conversion tool. In this significant step to Singh’s personality rights, the court also issued a restraining order against several third parties, prohibiting them from using Singh's name, voice, mannerisms, and other personal attributes without his consent.

Addressed a growing concern over the exploitation of celebrities' personal traits through advanced AI technologies the bench of Justice RI Chagla prohibited entities from using Arijit Singh's name, vocal style, photographs, and other attributes for any form of commercial or personal gain. This restriction extends to various forms of media, including online platforms, advertisements, promotional materials, and merchandise. Importantly, it also encompasses the use of AI technologies such as voice models, voice conversion tools, digital avatars, and deepfake technologies that replicate or mimic Singh’s persona.

The bench was hearing a plea filed by Arijit Singh through his lawyer Hiren Kamod against eight online platforms seeking protection of his personality rights. Singh claimed that the online platforms provide AI models and AI tools to synthesise artificial sound recordings of his voice.

Singh is an exemplary role model for aspirant singers, he came from a very small town and had a humble beginning, but now he is one of the most celebrated, acclaimed and successful singers/artists in the country. As put forth by his lawyer, the singer who has an enormous fan following has made a conscious personal choice to refrain from any kind of brand endorsement or gross commercialisation of his personality traits for the past several years but several YouTube channels and other persons were making memes and GIFs, causing ridicule, embarrassment and humiliation, thereby prejudicially affecting his reputation.

Justice Chagla said, "What shocks the conscience of this Court is the manner in which celebrities, particularly performers such as the present Plaintiff are vulnerable to being targeted by unauthorised generative AI content such as that of some of the defendants herein".