Bombay High Court Bans AI Tools from Exploiting Asha Bhosale's Voice and Image

In a landmark ruling, the Bombay High Court has granted veteran singer Asha Bhosale interim relief against the unauthorized use of her voice, image, and likeness by several platforms and individuals. The court has restrained these entities from cloning Bhosale's voice or commercially exploiting her personality using artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

The judge presiding over the matter noted that the absence of the defendants, despite being served, "only lends support" to Bhosale's claim that their conduct is "purely unauthorized and infringing" on her personality rights. The court observed that making AI tools available to enable the conversion of any voice into that of a celebrity without their permission would constitute a violation of the celebrity's personality rights.

The court has, pending the final hearing of the plea, restrained platforms such as Mayk Inc, Covers AI, and an individual named Harry Tiwari from exploiting or violating Bhosale's personality rights or passing off their goods and services as those endorsed by or originating from her. Other respondents named in the suit include e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart, as well as Google LLC.

Bhosale's legal team argued that her personality rights, including her name, voice, signature, and image, were being exploited for commercial and personal gain without her consent, citing a violation of her moral rights as a performer under the Copyright Act.