Bombay HC grants temporary protection to Asha Bhosle over AI voice and image misuse

The Bombay High Court has granted interim relief to legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle, restraining AI platforms, e-commerce sites, and independent sellers from cloning her voice or exploiting her image, likeness, and other personality traits without prior permission.

The order is seen as a landmark step in protecting celebrity rights in the digital era.

Justice Arif S Doctor noted that, prima facie, the unauthorised use of a celebrity’s personal attributes — such as name, voice, photographs, caricatures, or likeness — amounts to a violation of publicity and personality rights.

The judge added that making AI tools available to convert any voice into that of a celebrity without their permission would constitute a violation of the celebrity's personality rights. He explained that such tools facilitate the unauthorized appropriation and manipulation of a celebrity's voice, which is a key component of their personal identity and public persona.

Bhosle, 91, filed the petition against multiple defendants, including AI company Mayk Inc for allegedly creating cloned versions of her voice, Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd and Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd for selling posters and merchandise featuring her likeness without authorisation, an independent artist selling clothing with her image, and Google LLC, operator of YouTube, for hosting AI-generated videos mimicking her voice.

The singer argued that these acts harmed her reputation and diluted the goodwill she has built over her 82-year career, during which she received honours such as the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the Padma Vibhushan, and two Grammy nominations.

Granting her plea, the court ruled that the balance of convenience favoured Bhosle. Justice Doctor directed that AI platforms and sellers must not use, exploit, or misappropriate any aspect of her persona — including name, voice, vocal style, signature, mannerisms, photographs, or likeness — for commercial or personal purposes without consent.

The order specifically covers AI voice models, generative AI, machine learning systems, and face morphing technology.

Defendants were instructed to remove infringing material mentioned in the plaint, including cloned recordings, merchandise, and online content, and surrender such material for destruction.

Amazon and Flipkart must remove offending listings within seven days and ensure future takedowns of unauthorised content once notified. Google/YouTube must remove specific URLs listed in the plaint and act against further flagged AI-generated content.

Additionally, all platforms are required to disclose subscriber or seller information linked to the infringing material — including names, contact information, IP logs, and payment details — so Bhosle can pursue further legal remedies.

Justice Doctor referred to previous decisions, including Arijit Singh v. Codible Ventures LLP (2024) and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan v. Aishwaryaworld.com (2025), both recognising AI-driven misappropriation of celebrity attributes as violations of personality rights. The court also noted that the failure of certain defendants to appear despite notice lent additional weight to Bhosle’s claim.

The case is scheduled for further hearing on October 13, 2025.