Published on : 24 Sep 2025, 11:57 am 5 min read

Recent ad interim injunctions in favour of celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan , Sadhguru, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Karan Johar have attracted significant public attention.

Although these orders are ex parte and lack precedential value, they reaffirm that “personality rights” (or the “right of publicity”) are recognised under Indian law. The scope of such protection, and the categories of “exploitation” that warrant injunctive relief, however, merit closer scrutiny.

Origins of the right of publicity

The right of publicity, as first articulated by Professor Melville B Nimmer in 1954, rests on the economic value of a prominent person’s name, likeness, or persona in attracting aud

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