The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim protection to the personality rights of podcaster and influencer Raj Shamani, who claimed that his name, image, voice and online presence are being widely misused on the internet.
Shamani, who has 13.2 million subscribers on YouTube and is the host of the Figuring Out With Raj Shamani podcast, filed a lawsuit claiming that videos on social media falsely portray him as supporting betting platforms and dubious cryptocurrency schemes.
His petition, seen by Mint, also highlighted fake endorsements by financial service providers like TaxBuddy, Telegram accounts that demand money from people, YouTube channels that re-upload his podcast clips without permission, and websites like ZoomMantra, BookMyArtistIndia and PartyMap that offer him for corporate events without his consent.
The lawsuit said hashtags like #rajshamani and #figuringout are being used to drive traffic to unrelated content, creating a false impression of association.
He also pointed to YouTube channels reposting his interviews after removing his tag, as well as vulgar parody videos, including one edited to look like an interview with Adolf Hitler and one containing an inappropriate interview with a character styled after Vijay Mallya.
They argued that such imitations misled people and damaged their credibility.
No order to parody
However, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora questioned his request to block all hashtags containing his name, noting that hashtags do not always indicate support. “You’re a public figure. You’re going to have to give so much space,” she said. “A broadcaster may have exclusive rights to a cricket match, but someone covering it can still use the match’s hashtag.”
The judge also suggested that issues related to memes and parody content be considered separately as they involve contentious issues and should not be confused with clear cases of abuse.
For now, the court will only deal with specific allegations supported by evidence – fake videos, website bookings with his name, fake endorsements, impersonating Telegram accounts and defamatory videos such as a parody of Hitler. Other complaints will be dealt with later.
Shamani joins public figures like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karan Johar and Anil Kapoor who have gone to court to protect their personality rights.
