The Bombay High Court has granted actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu interim protection against the misuse of her name, image and voice on AI platforms.

Justice Madhav Jamdar barred AI platforms, e-commerce portals and digital media entities from using her identity without permission. The court also ordered the takedown of unauthorised content, including AI-generated deepfakes and morphed material.

The judge found at first glance that the material violated her personality, publicity and moral rights. The court noted these are protected under Articles 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution, with moral rights covered separately under Section 38B of the Copyright Act.

The suit targets 18 defendants, including Meta, Google and Amazon, plus AI developers and unidentified ‘John Doe’ parties. The IT ministry and the telecom department were also made parties so the directions can be enforced.

She had sought permanent injunctions, takedowns and damages. The interim order is a significant early win in the fight against non-consensual AI content.