Bombay High Court Protects Asha Bhosle’s Personality Rights Against AI Misuse
Court Restrains Unauthorized Cloning of Voice and Exploitation of Image on AI Platforms and Marketplaces
The Bombay High Court has granted renowned playback singer Asha Bhosle ad-interim protection of her personality rights, restraining artificial intelligence platforms, online marketplaces, and sellers from unauthorized use of her voice, image, likeness, and other personal attributes. Justice Arif S Doctor held that unauthorized exploitation of a celebrity’s name, voice, vocal style, and likeness through AI tools constitutes a violation of publicity and personality rights.
Bhosle approached the Court against defendants including AI company Mayak Inc, Amazon Seller Services, Flipkart, an independent artist, and Google LLC over instances of her cloned voice being offered, merchandise bearing her likeness being sold, and AI-generated videos uploaded on YouTube without consent. The Court directed removal of all infringing material and ordered platforms to provide Bhosle with information of the infringing parties for further legal action.
The Court emphasized that AI tools enabling voice cloning without permission severely impact the artist’s reputation and goodwill accumulated over decades. The ruling follows precedents that recognize unauthorized AI-driven use of celebrity attributes as violations of personality rights. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on October 13, 2025.