Hyderabad court restrains use of Chiranjeevi’s name, image for commercial gain
HYDERABAD: A city civil court has issued an interim injunction restraining online garment outlets, digital media platforms, YouTube channels and other entities from using the name, titles, images and photographs of actor and former politician Konidela Chiranjeevi for any commercial purpose. The order aims to protect his personality and publicity rights from unauthorised exploitation.
Chief Judge S Sasidhar Reddy of the Hyderabad City Civil Court granted the ad-interim injunction last month following a petition filed by Chiranjeevi. The actor approached the court alleging that several online and retail platforms were using his image, voice, and titles such as “Mega Star” and “Chiru” without consent.
Court bars misuse of personality attributes
Chiranjeevi stated that the unauthorised use of his persona had caused him social and financial harm and risked tarnishing his reputation. The court ordered all 34 defendants to cease using his name, likeness, and other personality attributes with immediate effect.
Trend of celebrities seeking legal protection
In recent years, several celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Kumar Sanu, Arijit Singh, Asha Bhosle, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Karan Johar, and Akkineni Nagarjuna have moved courts to protect their publicity rights against similar misuse.
The court has posted the matter for the next hearing on October 27, when further proceedings will determine the outcome of the case.
