Sunil Gavaskar becomes first Indian sportsperson to get court protection for personality rights
Sunil Gavaskar has become the first Indian sportsperson to receive court-backed protection against the misuse of his name, image, and identity online.
In a significant development for the Indian sports domain, Sunil Gavaskar has been the first sports person in the country to receive court-backed protection of his publicity and personality rights. This shows that even legendary sportspersons are at risk of online misuse in today’s digital world, especially with the rise of AI and deepfake content.
The Delhi High Court stepped in on Tuesday to protect the former India opener and well-known commentator from the illegal use of his name and image on websites and social media platforms. The case highlights the growing need to protect personal identity online.
This court case emerged due to deceptive as well as obscene content featuring the image of Gavaskar being circulated on the internet. This content had raised serious concerns, which led the court to take strict actions.
Court Orders Action Against Online Misuse
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora passed an order stopping several parties from using Sunil Gavaskar’s identity without his permission. This includes misuse through AI tools and deepfake technology, making it clear that such actions are not allowed.
As reported by PTI, the court ordered that all misleading and obscene content using Gavaskar’s image must be removed within 72 hours. If the platforms do not follow this order, social media intermediaries will be required to take the content down.
The court also noted that Gavaskar had first approached it on December 12. At that time, platforms were asked to act on his complaint within seven days under the IT Rules, 2021. Although some content was taken down, many violations continued, which resulted in strong court actions. The goal of Gavaskar's case is to prevent his name, image, voice, and overall his identity from being used for advertising. Within the recent few months, many popular personalities from the film industry have received the same rights.
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