Filmmaker and television personality Karan Johar has approached the Delhi High Court, requesting protection of his personality rights to prevent unauthorized commercial use of his name and likeness. Johar’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao, argued that multiple websites and social media accounts have been exploiting his image and persona without consent, often using his photographs to sell merchandise or generate funds.
Karan Johar moves Delhi High Court to protect his image rights from unauthorized merchandise sales
The petition, titled Karan Johar v. Ashok Kumar/John Doe & Ors, comes shortly after similar victories by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, who both secured court orders protecting their names and images from exploitation.
During the hearing on Monday, Rao stated that Johar’s photographs were being downloaded and circulated across various online platforms, with some social media pages even operating under his name. According to Rao, Johar has the right to decide how and where his persona is used commercially. He emphasized that the filmmaker’s decision not to act previously does not grant others blanket permission to exploit his identity.
On behalf of Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, Advocate Varun Pathak cautioned against a sweeping order. He argued that many of the flagged posts were ordinary comments or jokes made by fans, not defamatory or malicious content. A blanket injunction, Pathak noted, could open the door to excessive litigation, with everyday fan interactions being dragged into court.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora observed that the court needed to carefully distinguish between disparagement, memes, fan content, and outright commercial exploitation. The judge clarified that not every fan page could be ordered to shut down or taken offline. Instead, the court asked Johar’s team to specifically identify the accounts or websites misusing his persona for profit.
The court signalled that it may issue targeted take-down orders against such violators, while also allowing Johar to return to court or approach platforms like Meta in case of future breaches. The matter has been listed for further consideration on September 15.
If granted, Johar’s petition would further strengthen the growing legal trend among Bollywood celebrities to protect their image rights against unauthorized use in the digital and merchandise marketplace.
BOLLYWOOD NEWS – LIVE UPDATES
Catch us for latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2025 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.