OMG! Anil Kapoor Wins In Groundbreaking AI Lawsuit, Safeguarding His Digital Rights! (Details Inside)
Anil Kapoor, an Indian actor, has won a big victory in a New Delhi court against unlicensed AI usage of his picture.
Kapoor, who has appeared in dozens of hit Bollywood films as well as the Oscar-winning English-language drama Slumdog Millionaire, won an interim order against 16 defendants, ordering that they be “restrained from in any manner utilising Anil Kapoor’s name, likeness, image, voice or any other aspect of his persona to create any merchandise, ringtones … either for monetary gain or otherwise.”
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Kapoor told Variety: “I think [the decision] is very progressive and great not only for me but for other actors also … Because of the way AI technology is evolving every day.”
The court judgment comes at a critical juncture in the conflict between US writers and actors’ unions and studio-representing entities. The use of AI to profit from an actor's image in perpetuity, without approval or residuals, is a major bone of disagreement between Sag-Aftra and the studios.
Kapoor expressed solidarity with striking actors in the United States and hoped that his victory will be greeted as "great positive news" by them.
“I am always, completely with them in every which way, and I feel their rights should be protected, because everybody, big, small, popular, not popular – every actor has the right to protect themselves,” Kapoor said.
In response to the vast number of distorted films, gifs, and emojis bearing his likeness, the actor took his case to India's high court. He was particularly concerned about the use of his catchphrase, "jhakaas," which was first heard in the 1985 film ‘Yudh’ and loosely translates as "awesome." All are now legally protected.
"It's not only for me," Kapoor explained. "Today, I'm there to protect myself, but when I'm not there, the family should have the right to protect and profit from my [personality] in the future."
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The on-screen resurrection of late actor Peter Cushing in 2017's ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ brought to light the ethics of computer reconstruction of actors who have deceased. The work done to bring the actor back to the big screen was allowed by Cushing's estate.
