Anil Kapoor wins exclusive rights to his name, image, voice & nicknames

People will now need explicit permission from the actor to use his image, signature and any likeness to his persona, as well as the phrase 'Jhakaas'

After Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor filed a lawsuit at the Delhi High Court to restrain the use of his name, image, voice, and overall persona without his explicit permission. This restriction applies to people at large, social media channels and websites.

In most cases, people use the image of actors and popular characters they play to promote their businesses. This was done in the case filed by Amitabh Bachchan, where his image and voice were used illegally by app developers to conduct lotteries by associating them with the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).

Kapoor's suit extends beyond his name to the acronym AK as well as the names of popular characters he has played over his extensive career. This includes "Lakhan", "Mr India", and "Nayak". The phrase "Jhakaas" is also included in his filing.

The actor has also claimed that generative AI tools are being misused to "prejudice is hard-earned goodwill and reputation," according to a report by Bar and Bench.

Justice Prathiba M Singh heard the actor's plea in the Delhi HC today, where the court passed an omnibus order to protect Kapoor's personality and publicity rights.

The court stated that no one would be allowed to use the actor's name, image, voice, signature or likeness without his explicit consent for commercial purposes.

Moreover, the court acknowledged that the actor has a unique manner of saying the phrase "Jhakhaas", which will be protected. 

Domains carrying the actor's name will also be suspended and immediately blocked.