You may not use ‘Bhidu’ without Bhidu’s permission. Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court challenging the unlicensed use of his name and personality attributes by several entities for profit.
The actor’s lawyer objected to the “abuse” of his personality and publicity rights through the sale of merchandise, ringtones and wallpapers, as well as “offensive” memes and GIFs and the use of artificial intelligence.
He also alleged infringement of his trademark rights to the Marathi slang “bhidu”.
Justice Sanjeev Narula on Wednesday summoned the entities named in the suit and posted the matter for further hearing.
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Jackie Shroff’s lawyer said that individuals cannot be allowed to deceive consumers into buying products into the belief that the actor is endorsing them. The actor has a career spanning four decades and has worked in more than 200 films.
“Jackie Shroff is so well known. People will think it supports it. It has some marketability behind it. It cannot be done without his consent,” said the lawyer.
The court was told that merchandise such as mugs, signed posters and bags were being sold online in violation of Shroff’s rights. The plaintiff’s lawyer also stated that certain defamatory and inappropriate content was also available as memes, morphed images, etc.
To support his case, Jackie Shroff’s counsel relied on orders passed by the high court in similar suits by actors Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor.
