Mumbai: In a significant ruling at the intersection of celebrity rights, AI misuse, and India’s evolving digital law landscape, the Delhi High Court on May 7, 2026 granted a broad ex parte ad interim injunction in favour of Aman Gupta, co-founder of boAt Lifestyle, Founder and CEO of OFF/BEAT, and a widely recognised face from Shark Tank India. The order restrains over 44 defendants from exploiting his name, image, voice, likeness, and persona without authorisation — marking a landmark moment in India’s evolving personality rights landscape.
The court’s interim relief is notable for extending protections traditionally associated with film stars and athletes to startup founders with significant public visibility — making Gupta among the first Indian entrepreneurs to secure such personality rights protection. The case stands out as a first involving a new-age entrepreneur whose public persona has been built through digital media, brand building, and television visibility rather than traditional entertainment channels.
Gupta alleged large-scale misuse of his identity, including fake endorsements, unauthorised merchandise, AI-generated impersonations, and misleading online content. The order, passed by Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, covers an unusually wide range of alleged violations — from AI-generated deepfake pornographic content and fake speaker booking websites to unauthorised merchandise sellers and Telegram bots impersonating the entrepreneur.
The court acknowledged the commercial and reputational value attached to Gupta’s persona and restrained the creation and circulation of unauthorised content, including deepfakes and AI-generated material. It also directed intermediaries such as Google LLC to take down infringing content and disclose details of certain accounts.
The order spans an extensive range of misuse scenarios across digital platforms — underscoring the scale and sophistication of identity exploitation that public figures face in today’s AI-driven content environment.
The development reflects a broader shift in India’s media and business landscape, where startup founders increasingly function as public personalities with monetisable identity assets. As founders build personal brands alongside their companies, legal questions around ownership, consent, and commercial use of identity are becoming more prominent.
For the startup ecosystem, the case underscores the growing need to treat founder identity as intellectual property — particularly in an era of AI-driven content, impersonation risks, and platform-led amplification. The ruling is expected to set a significant precedent for how Indian courts approach personality rights in the context of digital-first public figures.
Defendants have been directed to file their written statements within 30 days of receiving summons. The matter is listed before the Joint Registrar (Judicial) on August 3, 2026 for completion of service and pleadings, and before the Court on October 1, 2026.
The plaintiff is represented by Senior Advocate Ms. Diya Kapur, along with a team of advocates. Google LLC is represented by a separate legal team, while the Union of India appears through the Central Government Standing Counsel.
