Creators Join the Rights Battle: Raj Shamani Successfully Protects His Identity Before the DHC 

Introduction:

In a creator economy flooded with AI deepfakes, fake endorsements and impersonation accounts, the Delhi High Court in Raj Shamani & Anr v John Doe / Ashok Kumar & Ors sends a clear signal: personality rights and digital reputation are not open season. The Court granted ex parte ad interim relief in favour of content creator and podcaster Raj Shamani (Plaintiff 1) and his media company (Plaintiff 2), restraining a range of platforms and entities from misusing his name, image, voice, likeness and podcast content. It also directed major intermediaries like Google, Meta and Telegram to take down specific links, block infringing material, and disclose subscriber data of unknown infringers. At the same time, the Court flagged that content which is truly parody, satire or criticism may need to be litigated separately, to avoid embarrassment of trial and to protect distinct defences. 

Facts & Background:

Plaintiff 1, Raj Shamani, is a well-known Indian content creator and host of the podcast “Figuring Out”. Plaintiff 2 produces the podcast and owns the copyright in all audiovisual content across his official platforms. Plaintiff 1 owns the registered mark “FIGURING OUT” and its device mark, while Plaintiff 2 owns “FIGURING OUT GREAT INDIAN DREAM”. The plaint highlights his large digital presence, major brand partnerships, and over 22 million followers, forming the basis of his personality and publicity rights.  

The suit seeks a permanent injunction for trademark and copyright infringement, passing off, and misappropriation of personality and publicity rights. The Court exempted the plaintiffs from pre-litigation mediation due to the urgency and involvement of unknown entities. The alleged misuse spans multiple actors. Defendants 2, 3 and 4 run booking portals falsely offering to arrange commercial engagements with him. Defendant 5 uses his name and image to imply endorsement. Defendant 10 republishes and monetizes his videos.  Defendant 16 runs a YouTube channel copying his podcast branding and associating him with vulgar content. Defendants 19 and 20 use his podcast clips to imply collaboration with their brands.  

A large set of unknown infringers grouped as Defendant 1 (John Doe) are accused of uploading unauthorized podcast clips, impersonating him on Telegram, running fake bots, and creating AI generated deepfake or morphed content to mislead viewers about his involvement. Platforms like Telegram, Meta, Google and others are impleaded as proforma defendants to implement takedowns and provide Basic Subscriber Information (BSI). The suit also includes certain links that appear to be parody or satire, and the Court noted these may need to be separated to avoid mixing distinct legal defences with pure misappropriation claims. 

Key Issues Before the Court:

1. Whether Raj Shamani’s personality and publicity rights in his name, image, voice and likeness can be protected against unauthorized use, impersonation and AI-generated deepfakes? 

2. Whether the plaintiffs established a prima facie case for ex parte injunction over trademark and copyright infringement, fake endorsements, impersonation and unauthorized podcast clip usage? 

3. How far can intermediaries like Telegram, Meta and Google be compelled to takedown content and disclose BSI at this stage? 

4. Whether links that are parody, satire or criticism should remain in this suit or be split into a separate action? 

Court’s Reasoning, Findings and Held:

The Delhi High Court took a firm stance on protecting Raj Shamani’s digital identity and content. After reviewing the material, the Court noted that Shamani is a widely recognised creator with substantial goodwill, and his name, image, voice, likeness and overall persona carry clear commercial value. The defendants’ conduct fake booking portals, unauthorized reposting of podcast clips, AI-generated deepfakes, impersonation bots, thumbnails implying false appearances, and brands using his content to suggest endorsement amounted to straightforward misappropriation of his personality and publicity rights.  

The Court held that these attributes are legally protectable, and that misleading, vulgar or AI-manipulated content causes immediate reputational harm. It also acknowledged Plaintiff 2’s copyright over the “Figuring Out” podcast and both plaintiffs’ registered trademarks, making unauthorized reproduction and monetization clear infringement. Having reviewed the plaintiffs’ six categories of offending material, the Court found a strong prima facie case for takedown. It then passed broad injunctions restraining Defendants 1 to 5, 10, 16, 19 and 20 from using Shamani’s persona or the plaintiffs’ trademarks and content in any form.  

Platforms like Telegram, Meta and Google were directed to remove the listed content, share Basic Subscriber Information of the uploaders, and take down any mirror copies within tight timelines. The Court also clarified that certain links appearing to be parody or satire raise different legal considerations and may need to be handled separately, deferring summons to those defendants. Overall, the order signals strong judicial protection for creators against impersonation, AI-manipulation and unauthorized commercial exploitation in the digital ecosystem. 

Key Takeaways:

The order reinforces that a creator’s name, image, voice and digital persona are valuable, protectable rights, and courts will step in swiftly when they’re exploited through fake endorsements, unauthorized clips, impersonation or AI-generated deepfakes. Platforms like Telegram, Meta and Google carry real responsibilities once notified, including fast takedowns and disclosure of uploader details. The Court also drew an important line: commercial misuse and identity theft belong in one bucket, while parody or criticism sits in another, and mixing the two can distort the trial. Overall, the decision sends a clear message that digital creators are entitled to strong protection against misappropriation in today’s AI-driven ecosystem.