Actor Preity Zinta has secured a significant legal victory in her fight against the misuse of artificial intelligence and digital content. The Bombay High Court has granted the Bollywood star permission to file a civil suit against Google LLC, Meta Platforms and several other entities over the alleged creation and circulation of AI-generated deepfake videos, manipulated images, chatbot personas and other content using her identity. Zinta claims the unauthorised use of her persona has harmed her reputation, goodwill and intellectual property rights. The court’s order now paves the way for a substantive legal battle over personality rights in the digital age.
Preity Zinta Gets Bombay High Court’s Permission To Sue Meta, Google
The Bombay High Court has allowed to institute a civil suit against Google LLC and multiple social media platforms and websites. Since several of the entities involved are based outside Mumbai and the alleged online activities occurred both within and beyond the city’s jurisdiction, Zinta sought the court’s permission to proceed with the case before the High Court.
As per Bar and Bench, the matter was heard by Justice Abhay Ahuja, who granted the actor leave to file the suit on the original side of the Bombay High Court. The order marks an important procedural step, enabling Zinta to formally pursue legal remedies against the entities she believes are responsible for disseminating the disputed content.
Preity Zinta takes action against AI deepfakes
Deepfakes And Misuse Of Preity Zinta’s Persona
According to the actor’s claims, the defendants created, uploaded and distributed AI-generated deepfake videos, manipulated photographs, memes, chatbot personas and other digital content using her likeness and identity without authorisation. Representing Zinta, advocate Rohan Kadam argued before the court that the content was made available to the public across multiple digital platforms, resulting in a violation of her rights.
The actor contends that the alleged misuse of her image and persona amounts to a breach of her personality rights and has caused significant damage to her reputation and public image. Zinta has also argued that the unauthorised content has eroded the goodwill she has built throughout her decades-long career in the entertainment industry.
Apart from personality rights, Zinta has alleged infringement of copyright and violation of her moral rights under Section 62 of the Copyright Act, 1957. Her legal team submitted that the digital content not only misappropriated her identity but also affected her professional standing and public perception. Since the material was allegedly circulated globally through online platforms, the actor argued that the impact extended far beyond a single jurisdiction.