Delhi High Court issues John Doe order to protect NTR Junior’s personality rights

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued a John Doe order safeguarding the personality rights of actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, widely known as NTR Junior, restraining unauthorised commercial use of his name, image and likeness.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora noted that the actor enjoys significant public recognition across India, built over years of professional work, endorsements and public appearances. The court observed that his identity has acquired substantial goodwill and is closely associated with his public reputation beyond his fan base, making it legally protectable.

The order bars individuals and entities from using the actor’s name, photographs or likeness for commercial purposes without consent, including the creation and sale of merchandise across physical and digital formats. The restraint also extends to emerging formats such as AI-generated content and GIFs.

In addition, the court directed the removal of online listings found to be selling unauthorised merchandise linked to the actor’s personality traits. It clarified that any website or intermediary unintentionally affected by the order may approach the court, provided it undertakes not to engage in or facilitate infringing activity. The court indicated it would consider modifying the injunction on a case-by-case basis where appropriate.

E-commerce platforms, including Amazon, have been asked to submit responses outlining their internal policies for handling complaints related to trademark infringement, copyright violations and unauthorised use of an individual’s image or likeness in the sale of merchandise. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on May 19, 2026.

The High Court has previously directed social media and e-commerce platforms to treat such suits as complaints under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Similar personality rights protections have recently been granted to several public figures, including Sunil Gavaskar, R Madhavan, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Nagarjuna, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Karan Johar, Sudhir Chaudhary and podcaster Raj Shamani. Parallel suits have also been filed by Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and actor Salman Khan.