High Court: Amitabh Bachhan’s Voice & Image Can’t Be Used
The Delhi High Court on 25th of November passed an order restricting unauthorised use of actor Amitabh Bachchan's voice, image or any other trait identifiable with him.
Amitabh Bachhan’s voice is as famous as the legendary actor himself. Amitabh Bachchan, popularly known as ‘Big B,’ had petitioned the court ‘ to protect the unauthorised use of his ‘name, image, voice, and personality attributes.’ According to the lawsuit, Bachchan’s name, appearance, and voice were being improperly used by mobile application developers who were conducting lotteries. Now in a surprising ruling, the Delhi High Court on Friday, 25th of November passed an order restricting unauthorised use of actor Amitabh Bachchan's voice, image or any other trait exclusively identifiable with him by any individual.
The court's order came on a lawsuit filed by the actor alleging exploitation of his “publicity rights as a celebrity” by several individuals. The court directed telecom authorities to take action to pull down websites, providing the content in violation of Bachchan's rights. It also directed telecom service providers to block access to telephone numbers circulating such messages.Senior advocate Harish Salve, who was representing Amitabh Bachhan, said the relief of injunction was sought not only against the individuals named in the lawsuit but also against parties or unknown parties who may be exploiting Bachchan's publicity rights. He said besides the lottery, domain names were registered under the actor's name; there was “Amitabh Bachchan Video Call” and even T-shirts bearing his photographs. What do you think about this decision ruled out by the court? Do mention your thoughts in the comment section below.
