Preity Zinta has approached the Bombay High Court seeking an injunction against the circulation of AI-generated deepfake videos, morphed images, and other unauthorised digital content depicting her. The case has been filed as ‘Preity Zinta v. Google LLC & Ors.’When the matter came up on July 3, Justice Madhav Jamdar indicated that he would pass orders on July 6 after directing the parties to work together on a practical mechanism for removing the allegedly infringing content from online platforms.In her suit, Zinta has named several intermediaries as respondents, including Google and Meta, along with domain name registrars and certain identified infringers. She has alleged that AI-generated deepfake videos, manipulated images, and chatbot-style interactions portraying her are being hosted across various online platforms. Appearing for Zinta, senior advocate Venkatesh Dhond argued that AI-generated deepfakes are becoming increasingly sophisticated. He urged the court to grant urgent ex parte relief directing identified websites and intermediaries to immediately remove all infringing material referred to in the pleadings.Dhond further requested John Doe orders against unidentified infringers and sought a wider injunction restraining all persons from publishing or distributing unauthorised AI-generated content featuring Zinta.Counsel representing Google and Meta informed the court that they had no objection to removing URLs containing morphed or obscene material identified by the plaintiff. However, they opposed any blanket direction requiring intermediaries to proactively monitor or remove content that may not be infringing. They also contended that some of the URLs flagged in the suit did not contain objectionable material.A domain name registrar submitted that its role is limited to registering domain names and that it has no control over URLs directing users to content hosted on social media platforms.Justice Jamdar observed that any relief granted by the court must be carefully tailored to ensure that objectionable content is removed without affecting legitimate online material. While expressing the view that the case warranted protective relief, the judge directed all parties to collaborate on a workable protocol that would facilitate the removal of genuinely infringing content while safeguarding lawful content. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on July 6.
