In a major win for Indian cricket star Yuvraj Singh, the Delhi High Court has come to his defence. The court has banned any person or company from using Yuvraj Singh’s name, photos or any part of his identity without his permission to make money or gain popularity. This ban includes selling products like T-shirts and also includes making fake AI images and deepfake videos of him.
The interim order was passed by Justice Jyoti Singh on July 29 on a case filed by the former cricketer. The judge said that Yuvraj Singh is one of India’s most famous and respected cricketers who played for the country in all formats for 17 years. The court also made a strong statement, saying that people who misuse his personal rights and privacy should be punished strictly.
As per the order, no one can use the names “Yuvraj Singh” and “Yuvi”, along with his photo, voice, look and other personal traits without permission.
Yuvraj Singh had complained in court that apart from people illegally selling products with his name and face, many social media accounts were posting fake AI photos and videos showing him in false situations. He said this was harming his good name and reputation.
His lawyer told the court that these offensive posts included content that hurt religious feelings, videos showing him being aggressive and violent towards another cricketer, and posts that used bad and abusive words. The court has ordered Meta and other online platforms to delete all such offensive content immediately.
Explaining its decision, the court said that because of his big status, Yuvraj Singh has full ownership over his personality. This means only he has the right to use his name and image for business and he has every right to stop others from using it without permission.
The court further added that these fake AI posts and deepfake videos are damaging the huge respect and image that Yuvraj has built over many years through his hard work in cricket and his social work. The court said this kind of content is bringing down his image in front of the public.
Yuvraj Singh is not the first celebrity to do this. Before him, many famous people like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Salman Khan, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, podcaster Raj Shamani, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and cricketer Abhishek Sharma have also gone to the Delhi High Court to protect their personality rights.
