Jackie Shroff. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Actor Jackie Shroff on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court against the unlicensed use of his name and personality traits by several entities for commercial gains.

The lawyer appearing for the actor objected to the “misuse” of his personality and publicity rights through the sale of merchandise, ringtones, wallpapers as well as “derogatory” memes and GIFs and the use of artificial intelligence.

They also accused Marathi dialect of infringing their trademark rights Bhidu, Justice Sanjiv Narula issued summons to the entities on the suit and listed the matter for further consideration on Wednesday.

Shroff’s lawyer said that individuals cannot be allowed to mislead consumers into buying products into thinking that they are endorsed by the actor who has acted in over 200 films. The lawyer said, “Jackie Shroff is very famous. People will think it is endorsed by him. There is a certain marketability in his name. This cannot be done without his consent.”

The court was told that items such as mugs, signed posters and bags were being sold on the internet in violation of Shroff’s rights. The plaintiff’s counsel also said that some derogatory and objectionable content was also available in the form of memes, morphed images, etc.

“Everyone is using their names, images and making huge money. All this is defamatory stuff… The voiceover has obnoxious dirty words. There is nothing legitimate in it,” the lawyer said.

The lawyer said that some of the defendants have now stopped unauthorized use of Shroff’s personality traits. In support of his case, Shroff’s lawyer relied on orders passed by the High Court in similar suits by actors Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor.