Delhi High Court Restrains Unauthorized Use Of Varun Dhawan's Persona, Orders Takedown Of Deepfake Content

The Delhi High Court has recently restrained multiple entities from using actor Varun Dhawan's persona for commercial gain after finding a prima facie case that they were offering unauthorized bookings for his appearances, selling merchandise bearing his name and likeness, and publishing abusive, derogatory, and AI-generated content involving him.

Justice Jyoti Singh passed the order on May 29 while hearing Dhawan's suit against 18 defendants, including artist-booking platforms, e-commerce websites, social media accounts, and intermediaries.

Recording its prima facie findings against several of the defendants, the court ruled:

"Defendants No.1 to 3, 5 to 8, 10 to 13 and 15 (including John Does) are violating Plaintiff's personality/publicity rights as also passing off their goods and infringing Plaintiff's registered trademark."

Dhawan told the court that Artist Booking Company and Hire4Event were unauthorizedly offering bookings for his appearances and performances using his name, image and likeness.

He further alleged that merchandise websites including Iceposter, Amazon India, Redbubble and Desertcart were selling posters, mugs, mouse pads, calendars, pillows, phone cases, tote bags, towels, stickers, cut-outs and other products bearing his name and photographs without authorization.

The suit also targeted YouTube channels, Facebook pages, Instagram accounts and an X account that were allegedly publishing AI-generated content using Dhawan's name, image and likeness. According to the plaint, some of the content portrayed him in inappropriate or suggestive scenarios with female co-stars and other celebrities. Certain Instagram accounts allegedly used abusive and derogatory language. The court was also shown links to pornographic content using Dhawan's name and image.

Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Dhawan, argued that the actor's personality and publicity rights, as well as his registered trademarks comprising the name "VARUN DHAWAN" and his signature, were being infringed. He further submitted that Iceposter was a habitual infringer that had previously been sued by other celebrities for selling unauthorized merchandise.

After examining the plaint, screenshots and other documents placed on record, the court held that Dhawan had made out a prima facie case for protection.

On the grant of interim relief, the court observed,

"Balance of convenience lies in favour of the Plaintiff and irreparable harm and injury shall be caused to him if the ex parte injunction, as sought, is not granted."

The court observed that sale of merchandise using Dhawan's name, image, likeness and other elements of his persona for commercial gain without his consent and authorization was unlawful. It said such conduct could damage the goodwill and reputation he had built over the years. Referring to its earlier decision in Anil Kapoor v. Simply Life India, the court noted that a celebrity's right of endorsement is a significant source of livelihood and cannot be undermined through unauthorized sale of merchandise bearing attributes of the celebrity's persona.

The court also held that Dhawan was entitled to protection against pornographic content and AI-generated images portraying him in inappropriate scenarios.

In this regard, the court ruled:

"Plaintiff is entitled to protection against dissemination of pornographic content as well as AI-generated images portraying him in an inappropriate scenario."

Accordingly, the court restrained several booking platforms, merchandise sellers and social media accounts arrayed as defendants from utilizing, using, exploiting or misappropriating Dhawan's name, image, voice, likeness or any other attribute of his persona without authorization. The restraint extends to the use of technologies including artificial intelligence, generative artificial intelligence, machine learning, deepfakes, AI chatbots and face-morphing technologies.

The court also restrained them from selling, offering for sale or facilitating the sale of merchandise that infringes Dhawan's personality rights, amounts to passing off, or infringes his registered trademarks.

The court directed the concerned defendants and intermediaries to take down or disable 168 URLs identified by Dhawan. These included profiles offering unauthorized bookings for his appearances, online listings for merchandise bearing his name and photographs, YouTube videos, Facebook, Instagram, and X posts allegedly infringing his personality rights, and 21 URLs relating to pornographic content. The URLs are to be taken down within 36 hours of receipt of the order.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications were directed to issue necessary directions to block and disable the 21 URLs relating to pornographic content.

Counsel for Hire4Event informed the court that after receiving an advance copy of the plaint, the profile complained of on its platform had already been taken down. Recording the statement, the court said it would bind the defendant.

The matter is next listed before the court on October 1, 2026.