The Delhi High Court has stepped in to protect one of India's most prominent digital creators from widespread online identity misuse. On Monday, the court granted interim protection to podcaster and influencer Raj Shamani, safeguarding his personality rights against unauthorized commercial exploitation and misleading content.
Widespread Misuse of Digital Identity
Raj Shamani, who boasts an impressive 13.2 million subscribers on YouTube and hosts the popular Figuring Out With Raj Shamani podcast, approached the court after discovering numerous instances of his name, image, and voice being misused across digital platforms. The influencer presented evidence showing his identity was being illegally used to endorse betting platforms and questionable cryptocurrency schemes without his consent.
According to court documents reviewed by Mint, the misuse extended far beyond fake endorsements. Shamani's petition highlighted multiple concerning instances including unauthorized financial service promotions by companies like TaxBuddy, fake Telegram accounts soliciting money from people, and YouTube channels re-uploading his podcast content without permission.
Commercial Exploitation and False Associations
The scale of unauthorized commercial exploitation revealed in court documents is substantial. Several websites including ZoomMantra, BookMyArtistIndia, and PartyMap were found to be offering Shamani's services for corporate events without any authorization. Even more concerning was the systematic misuse of hashtags like #rajshamani and #figuringout to drive traffic to unrelated content, creating false impressions of association with the influencer.
The petition also brought attention to more damaging content, including YouTube channels that reposted his interviews after removing his branding, and particularly disturbing parody videos. One such video was edited to make it appear as if Shamani was interviewing Adolf Hitler, while another featured an inappropriate conversation with a character styled after controversial businessman Vijay Mallya.
Court's Balanced Approach
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, while acknowledging the serious nature of the violations, adopted a measured approach to the case. The court questioned Shamani's request to block all hashtags containing his name, noting that hashtags don't necessarily indicate endorsement. "You're a public persona. You will have to give that much leeway," Justice Arora observed, drawing an analogy to cricket broadcasting rights.
In a significant clarification, the court suggested that issues related to memes and parody content should be addressed separately, as they involve contested legal questions that shouldn't be mixed with clear cases of misuse. For now, the court will focus specifically on evidenced allegations including fake endorsement videos, booking websites using his name illegally, impersonating Telegram accounts, and clearly derogatory content like the Hitler parody video.
With this ruling, Raj Shamani joins the growing list of Indian public figures including Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karan Johar, and Anil Kapoor who have sought legal protection for their personality rights in the digital age. The case highlights the increasing challenges faced by public figures in protecting their identity and credibility in an era of rampant online misuse.
