Delhi High Court PROTECTS Jr. NTR’s identity, ‘Dragon’ star issues statement: ‘My identity is not for sale’ | Telugu Movie News
At a time when the identity of celebrities has been subjected to online abuse, actor Jr NTR has finally spoken up about the rampant unauthorized usage of his name, image, and likeness in advertisements and elsewhere online. Terming the whole incident as his trauma, he has exclaimed that his identity is not for curators, stalkers, abusers, marketers, etc. It is within the background that the Hon’ble Delhi High Court has delivered a historic order in favor of Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (Jr NTR), in terms of protecting his personality rights and publicity rights from unauthorized commercial exploitation. The learned court came into action after a petition was filed by the actor himself detailing the rampant unauthorized use of his name across social media and online platforms, as well as through various other marketing mediums of his personality rights.
Court backs Jr. NTR’s stand
As regards the ‘Dragon’ actor’s concerns, the defamation of his personality and name was chiefly not a commercial public interest but an invasion into his honor, character, and personality. An official statement has been released by Jr. NTR’s team. “The Hon’ble Delhi High Court has passed an order protecting the personality and publicity rights of acclaimed actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR). The Court’s intervention follows a petition filed by the actor, citing widespread unauthorised and commercial misuse of his identity across platforms.Taking note of the issue, the Hon’ble High Court granted protection to his personality rights. The protection covers the unauthorised commercial use of his name and popular identifiers including “NTR”, “Jr. NTR”, “NTR Jr.”, “Tarak”, “Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr.”, “Jr. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao” and his sobriquets such as “Man of Masses”, “Young Tiger” etc along with his image, likeness and related attributes. The Court has directed that any such unauthorised use, if found, must be removed in accordance with applicable laws. Importantly, the Hon’ble Court has, at a prima facie stage, expressly recognised that Mr Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) has acquired celebrity status in India, having gained immense goodwill and reputation over the course of a successful career. The Court observed that his name, image and likeness are uniquely associated with him in the public mind, entitling him to proprietary rights over his personality and associated attributes. The Hon’ble Court further recognised that personality and publicity rights are integral to the right to life and freedom under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India, and are enforceable through provisions of the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Trade Marks Act, 1999. In addition, intermediary platforms have been directed to treat the plaint as a statutory complaint under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and to act upon identified infringing links within the prescribed statutory timelines.The Court has also passed directions against unidentified and anonymous entities (John Doe defendants), restraining any person, including online trolls and unknown offenders, from misappropriating or exploiting Mr. NTR’s personality and publicity rights, whether through merchandise, digital content, morphed images, AI-generated content, or any other technological means for commercial gain or misuse. This order underscores the growing importance of safeguarding individual identity and reputation in the digital era and reinforces the responsibility of platforms and third parties to ensure the lawful and respectful use of public figures’ names, images, and personas. Any misuse or misrepresentation that harms or damages his reputation will attract severe legal consequences and be punishable under the law.”
Clampdown on misuse and trolls against Jr. NTR
After the suit consolidation, the court declared the web and online corporations’ entities, which are situated and acting almost all around the globe, prohibited from any merchandising, digital content, morphing, deepfake, or usage of AI-generated materials pertaining to the public figure of Jr. NTR. It stated that he would take any necessary measures to protect his name if someone tried to use it for fraudulent or criminal purposes. This law is considered a great precedent in the Indian online community, as now it is acknowledged that the accountability of websites and third parties is to be respectful of the involved public figures’ identities and images.
Jr NTR prepares for ‘Dragon’
After making his Hindi debut with ‘War 2’ in 2025, Jr NTR now begins his next film, the Prasanth Neel directorial, believed to be titled ‘Dragon’. The hardworking Jr. NTR is sporting a terrific makeover in his latest film, and his workout videos have also gone viral on social media.Disclaimer: This story is based on events as reported by news sources and is for informational purposes only. The accuracy of the details, including the identity and mental state of the individuals
