By Grace Cyril,News18

Copyright news18

Karan Johar recently moved the Delhi High Court to safeguard his personality rights, aiming to stop the unauthorised sale of merchandise bearing his name and likeness. Represented by Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao, Johar’s legal team contended that multiple websites and social media accounts have been exploiting his images and persona without permission for commercial gain. According to new reports now, the Delhi High Court is set to issue an order on September 17 regarding Karan Johar’s plea.
Karan Johar’s personality rights case
The Delhi High Court on Monday announced that it will pass an order on September 17 regarding filmmaker and producer Karan Johar’s plea seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights. The matter was heard before Justice Manmeet PS Arora, who said she would address several issues raised by Johar, including unauthorised merchandise sales, impersonation, fake profiles, domain name disputes, and content deemed obscene or disparaging. “I will pass the order and list it on Wednesday,” the judge stated.
Johar has requested the court to direct certain websites and online platforms to stop selling merchandise, such as mugs and t-shirts, featuring his name and image without permission. In his suit, he claimed that various entities have been using his persona, likeness, and images for commercial gain without his consent.
Representing Johar, Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao said, “I have a right to ensure that no one unauthorisedly uses my persona, face or voice.”
Counsel for Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, argued that many of the comments cited in Johar’s plea were not defamatory. Advocate Varun Pathak warned that granting a blanket injunction could lead to a surge of litigation.
“These are ordinary people having comments and having discussions. Most of them are satire and jokes and not defamatory,” he said.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora noted the need to distinguish between disparagement, memes, and commercial exploitation. “Not every fan page can be ordered to be blocked or taken down… Please specifically identify it, the Court will consider it. It cannot be every fan page,” he said.
Rao argued that Johar should have the right to control the use of his image and persona. “The fact that I chose to look the other way does not give any carte blanche to others,” he said. The court indicated it may issue take-down orders for specific pages, while allowing Johar to approach the platform or court if similar violations appear in the future.
Karan Johar’s move follows similar petitions by actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, who successfully secured protection against unauthorised commercial use of their images and names.

What are Personality Rights?
Personality rights are the rights a person has over their own identity. They allow someone to control how their name, photo, voice, or likeness is used, especially for money-making purposes. Often called the “right of publicity,” these rights stop others from misusing a person’s image or reputation for things like ads or merchandise without permission. For celebrities, this protection is especially important. In today’s digital world, with tools like AI and deepfakes, personality rights also help guard against false or harmful use of someone’s identity.