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The Madras High Court has granted interim relief to actor Kamal Haasan in a John Doe suit filed to protect his personality rights and to prevent the commercial exploitation of his personal name, image, portrait, initials, and other attributes associated with his personality without prior consent.
Justice Senthil Kumar Ramamoorthy restrained Neeye Vidai firm and several other unknown entities from selling T-shirts and shirts bearing the actor’s image, portrait, name, or his popular screen title “Ulaganayagan,” without his consent or endorsement, until the next hearing.
The court was convinced by the arguments advanced by senior counsel Sathish Parasaran, assisted by advocate Vijayan Subramanian, and granted the interim relief.
The 71-year-old actor told the court that he has been associated with the film industry since childhood and has carved a unique niche through his expertise in various art forms. He further submitted that the unauthorised use of his name and portraits on products could create a misleading impression among the public that he has endorsed such goods.
Considering the John Doe nature of the suit, the judge directed the actor to issue a public notice regarding the court order in both English and Tamil daily newspapers so that it is communicated to all concerned.