Kumar Sanu moves Delhi HC for protection of personality and publicity rights

Singer Kumar Sanu has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights. He alleges unauthorized use of his name, voice, and likeness in AI-generated content, GIFs, and merchandise, violating his moral rights and creating public confusion

New Delhi: Noted singer Kumar Sanu has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights, including his name, voice, vocal style, and technique, etc.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora is likely to hear the plea on October 13. In his plea, Sanu sought protection of his personality and publicity rights, including his name, voice, vocal style and technique, vocal arrangements and interpretations, mannerism and manner of singing, images, caricatures, photographs, likeness and signature.

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He also sought protection against unauthorised/unlicensed use and/or commercial exploitation by third parties, which is likely to create confusion or deception and dilution among the public.

The suit, filed through advocates Shikha Sachdeva and Sana Raees Khan, also pertains to the violation of Sanu’s moral rights in his performances conferred upon him by virtue of provisions of the Copyright Act.

The plea claimed the defendants are violating Sanu’s personality and publicity rights by extracting his name, voice, likeness, and persona. The singer is also aggrieved by various GIFs, and audio and video recordings containing his performances and voice, which bring disrepute to him and make him a subject of “unsavoury humour”, thereby violating his moral rights in his performances, the plea claimed.

Sanu is also aggrieved by content made using artificial intelligence to clone his voice, vocal style and technique, vocal arrangements and interpretations, manner of singing, and morphing of his face, including the making of merchandise.

“Such merchandise and audios/videos of the plaintiff generate revenues for the defendants, as they are uploaded and streamed on social networking websites, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, which generate revenue based on the number of clicks or views to a particular image/video,” the suit said.

“Such acts also amount to an attempt at false endorsements and passing off and hence must be restrained by an order of injunction by this court,” it said.