Star Indian batter Abhishek Sharma has approached the Delhi High Court to protect his personality rights, which would mean that his name, picture and likeness cannot be used across online platforms without his consent. For example, no one can create an AI-generated content without his consent and if anyone does so, they will face legal issues.
The matter came up before Justice Jyoti Singh who examined multiple web links identified by Abhishek Sharma as infringing his personality rights. During the hearing, the Court made significant observations on the complex interplay between personality rights and defamation in the digital age.
The court declined to pass an order without examining the relevant material. While considering the rival submissions, Justice Jyoti Singh said that disputes involving online content blur the line between defamation and personality rights. “There is a real mess up here. You file an affidavit with a screenshot matching your table. The screenshot is way different from what you are showing. I can’t pass an order like this," the judge told Abhishek’s lawyer.
Delhi High Court asks Abhishek Sharma to submit fresh evidence
The Delhi High Court directed Abhishek Sharma to file an additional affidavit placing on record screenshots corresponding to the table set out in the annexures to the suit. The judge said, “I am not saying I am not inclined to, but I can’t pass an order this way." In his lawsuit, Abhishek Sharma has sought the removal of infringing content, including AI-generated material circulating on social media.
During the hearing, advocate Varun Pathak who is appearing for Meta Platforms, informed the Court that two of the eight URLs identified by the cricketer were inaccessible. Pathak also said one of the obtained contents was uploaded by a paparazzi account and might not involve any violation of personality rights.
The high court has declined to grant interim relief at this stage and asked Abhishek Sharma to file a fresh affidavit with screenshots that clearly match the alleged violations. Abhishek Sharma is currently in the UK with the Indian squad for the T20I series against England.
