The Delhi High Court has ordered the removal of images of YouTuber and digital creator Bhuvan Bam that have been uploaded online without his consent. Justice Jyoti Singh has directed that the takedown order shall apply to John Doe parties, including unnamed defendants, and has also ordered the removal of offending links. However, the Court has clarified that it has not passed any orders concerning Bam’s personality rights.
As per media reports, the Court has stated that a prima facie finding on personality rights cannot be given on the first date of hearing. Justice Singh has explained that rendering such a finding at the initial stage is not called for under law.
Bam has filed a suit alleging infringement of his personality and publicity rights, claiming that multiple entities have exploited his name, voice, image, likeness and other aspects of his persona without authorisation, licence or permission. He has argued that such actions amount to violations of his personality rights, registered trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property owned jointly by the plaintiffs.
Bam and his company, BB Ki Vines, have contended that they have acquired distinct public recognition and that unauthorised commercial use by third parties is likely to cause confusion and deception among the public.
Bhuvan Bam is among India’s most prominent digital content creators, with over 26.6 million subscribers on YouTube and a significant following on platforms including Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
Advocates Saurabh Seth, Shantanu Agarwal, Chandreyee Maitra, Allaka Malikayil, Raghav Thareja, Neelampreet Deol, Abhiroop Rathore and Kabir Deol have appeared on behalf of Bam.
