Delhi High Court Restrains Sale Of Unauthorized NTR Junior Merchandise, Holds E-Commerce Platforms Accountable
Delhi HC restrains sale of unauthorized NTR Junior merchandise, holds e-commerce platforms accountable.
Delhi High Court Restrains Sale of Unauthorized NTR Junior Merchandise, Holds E-Commerce Platforms Accountable
Court directs e-commerce platforms to place governing policies on record
The Delhi High Court recently restrained various merchandise sellers and e-commerce marketplaces from selling unauthorized merchandise using the name of actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Junior, popularly known as NTR Junior [Nandamuri Taraka Rao v Ashok Kumar/John Doe and Ors].
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora observed that NTR Junior is a well-known face in India and has acquired celebrity status. This status inherently grants him proprietary rights over his personality and associated attributes.
“Prima facie, the Plaintiff’s personality traits and/or parts thereof, including the Plaintiff’s name, likeness, and image are protectable elements of the Plaintiff’s personality rights. The Plaintiff is entitled to seek injunction against the use of his personality rights by third parties for selling merchandise for their commercial gains, without his authorisation.”- the Court ruled.
The Court directed the takedown of infringing links and ordered e-commerce platforms to stop facilitating the sale of such merchandise.
"The said Defendants are also directed to delist the impugned goods solicited on their websites, which are infringing personality rights of the Plaintiff."- the Court ordered.
The Court also took a serious view of the stand taken by e-commerce websites Amazon, Meesho, Flipkart, and Shopsy, which claimed they cannot act on complaints without a court order.
“These entities regularly take a stand that they are not liable for the infringing acts of the resellers and claim safe harbour; however, if the plaintiff/complainant has specifically filed a complaint to the e-commerce platform stating that the goods being sold are violating its rights, in the considered opinion of this Court these entities cannot have a hands-off approach.”- the Court said.
The Court further directed the e-commerce platforms to place on record their governing policies for addressing complaints relating to:
- Infringement of registered trademarks and copyright,
- Unauthorized use of a person’s image and likeness, and
- Sale of merchandise.
The matter is next listed for hearing before the Court on May 19, 2026.
Representation
Senior Advocate J. Sai Deepak, with Advocates Dr. Alka Dahar, Shiv Verma, Adv. Khushi Jain, Varun Sharma, and Pankhudi Tripathi of Law Offices of India, Advocates and Advisors, represented NTR Junior.
Advocate Manas Raghuvanshi appeared for Amazon (Saikrishna & Associates).
Advocate Mishthi Dubey appeared for Meesho.
Advocates Aditya Gupta, Vani Kaushik, and Rohith appeared for Google.
Advocates Varun Pathak, Amee Rana, Sana Banyal, and Anannya Gogoi appeared for Meta (Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.).
Advocates Ankit Parhar, Abhishek Kumar, Shreya Gupta, and Sanchli Sethi appeared for X (Poovayya & Co.).
Advocates Ankit Parhar and Shreya Gupta appeared for Reddit, Inc..
Central Government Standing Counsel Siddhartha Shankar Ray, with Advocate Atishay Jain, appeared for the Union of India.
Conclusion
The Delhi High Court’s order underscores the protection of celebrity personality rights and clarifies the responsibilities of e-commerce platforms in preventing unauthorized commercial use of a person’s name, likeness, and image. The judgment reinforces that platforms cannot adopt a hands-off approach and must actively implement policies to address complaints of infringement. This ruling sets a significant precedent for the enforcement of personality rights in India and the accountability of online marketplaces.
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