The celebrated filmmaker has moved the Delhi High Court seeking an injunction against the unauthorized use of his name and image for merchandise, following a similar move by Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachchan.
September 15, 2025: Karan Johar, a well-known director and producer, has gone to the Delhi High Court to stop people and businesses from using his name and picture to make money without his consent. This shows how much more important personality rights are becoming these days. He is especially angry that individuals are selling things with his name on them without consulting him first.
Johar is suing because Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai won the same lawsuit in the same court, which gave them short-term protection. The High Court reminded the Bachchan family that using a famous person’s name, picture, or likeness without their permission, especially with AI, hurts their reputation and goodwill.
Justice Tejas Karia, who was in charge of the Bachchan cases, said that a person’s job is connected to their personality and that using it the wrong manner could ruin their money and personal life for good. Because of what the court declared, many businesses, social media sites, and online merchants have made it clear that this kind of abuse will not be accepted.
The Karan Johar lawsuit is a big element of the current legal battle in India over personality rights, which are also known as the right to publicity. People have the right to manage their name, picture, or public image, and this right lets them make money off of it. Even though there is no statute that says what it is, judges in India are starting to see it as an extension of the right to privacy and are starting to enforce it.
Abhishek Bachchan also said that other businesses, including Etsy and YouTube channels, were utilizing his photo to make money by selling products and generating content with AI.
Johar’s actions support the court’s decision and show that Bollywood’s biggest stars don’t want their public photos used for business. This is especially crucial because emerging technologies like AI make it easier for people who shouldn’t to develop and share things.