NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday asked Meta Platforms and Google to clarify whether they are willing to take down URLs containing morphed videos and profane language targeting singer Kumar Sanu.
The court was hearing a plea by Sanu seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights, including his name, voice, vocal style, technique, images, caricatures, photographs, likeness and signature.
“Counsel for Meta and Google are directed to take instructions on whether they will remove the URLs and why the grievance officer under IT Rules should not take them down,” Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora said. The court sought clarifications from Sanu’s lawyer and listed the matter for October 15.
Meta’s counsel said the URLs would be reviewed but highlighted difficulties in judging profanity, as defamation was specifically excluded under IT Rules. Sanu’s plea alleges that unauthorised use of his voice, likeness, and persona—including AI-generated content and merchandise—violates his moral rights and personality rights under the Copyright Act. The content, generates revenue for platforms and amounts to false endorsements, harming the singer’s reputation.