The Bombay High Court has granted interim protection to legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle against the unauthorised cloning of her voice and misuse of her image through artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The ruling underscores the rising legal challenges around AI’s impact on personality and celebrity rights in India.
In its order, Justice Arif Doctor restrained several platforms and individuals from commercially exploiting Bhosle’s likeness, voice, and other personality attributes without her consent. The court observed that AI tools enabling voice conversion into that of a celebrity without permission constitute a violation of personality rights.
“Such tools facilitate the unauthorized appropriation and manipulation of a celebrity’s voice, which is a key component of their personal identity and public persona,” the court noted. “This not only infringes on the individual’s right to control their own likeness and voice but also undermines their ability to prevent deceptive or commercial misuse of their identity.”
Platforms and individuals restrained
Pending the final hearing, the court restrained Mayk Inc (a virtual music studio), Covers AI (an AI-powered remix and video platform), and one Harry Tiwari from using or passing off Bhosle’s identity for commercial gain. Amazon Seller Services, Flipkart Internet, Google LLC, and an unidentified “John Doe” were also named as respondents.
Legal arguments
Advocates Ankit Lohia, Vikram Trivedi, and Rashid Boatwalla, representing Bhosle, argued that her personality rights—including her name, image, signature, and voice—were being exploited without permission. They also cited violations of her moral rights as a performer under Section 38-B of the Copyright Act, 1957.
Appearing for Google, advocate Charu Shukla confirmed that the specific infringing links attached to the plaint would be removed but said further instructions were required regarding broader reliefs sought.
Court directions
The court directed Amazon, Flipkart, and Google to take down the infringing content identified in the case. It also ordered them to remove additional flagged content upon further notification, while allowing the respondents to raise objections with reasons.
The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on October 13.
