Gautam Gambhir Moves Delhi High Court Over Deepfakes, Unauthorized Use of Identity
NEW DELHI — Former India cricketer and current head coach Gautam Gambhir has approached the Delhi High Court seeking urgent legal protection against what he described as a coordinated campaign involving digital impersonation, AI-generated deepfakes, and unauthorized commercial use of his identity.
The civil suit, filed in the Commercial Division of the High Court, requests an immediate injunction against multiple defendants, including social media accounts, e-commerce platforms, and technology intermediaries.
According to the filing, Gambhir’s legal team has documented a “sharp and alarming increase in fabricated digital content” circulating across platforms such as Instagram, X, YouTube, and Facebook.
“Multiple accounts deployed artificial intelligence, face-swapping, and voice-cloning technologies to create realistic videos falsely depicting Mr. Gambhir making statements he never made — including a fraudulent ‘resignation announcement’ that garnered over 29 lakh views, and a fabricated clip purporting to show him making remarks about senior cricketers’ World Cup participation that drew over 17 lakh views,” the statement said. “Beyond social media, major e-commerce platforms were facilitating the sale of posters and merchandise bearing his name and likeness without any authorisation.”
The lawsuit names 16 defendants, including several social media accounts, e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart, and major technology companies including Meta Platforms Inc., X Corp., and Google LLC/YouTube. India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications have also been included as proforma parties to help implement any court orders.
“My identity — my name, my face, my voice — has been weaponised by anonymous accounts to spread misinformation and generate revenue at my expense. This is not a matter of personal hurt; it is a matter of law, dignity, and the protection every public figure deserves in the age of artificial intelligence,” Gambhir said in a statement.
The suit has been filed under provisions of the Copyright Act, the Trade Marks Act, and the Commercial Courts Act. It also references previous Delhi High Court rulings recognizing personality rights in cases involving Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Sunil Gavaskar.
Gambhir is seeking damages of Rs. 2.5 crore, along with a permanent injunction, takedown of infringing content, and an accounting of profits generated through unauthorized use of his identity.
The petition also calls for a broad restriction preventing any party from using or reproducing his name, image, voice, or persona — including through AI tools such as deepfakes, morphing, or face-swapping — without his explicit written consent.
An urgent application for an ex-parte ad-interim injunction has been filed, requesting the immediate removal of the disputed content and a halt to further dissemination pending a final hearing. (Source: IANS)
