The dispute concerned the use of a Cricket World Cup association in commercial advertising without authorisation from the event organiser.
Whether publicity rights exist independently under Indian law and, if so, in whom they vest.
The Delhi High Court held that the right of publicity has evolved from the right of privacy and can inhere only in an individual, or in some instances a persona, and not in a non-living entity or event as such.
Publicity rights attach to indicia of a person's identity — name, image, likeness, voice and similar attributes — and unauthorised commercial use of those attributes is actionable.
Frequently cited as the doctrinal starting point for personality-rights litigation in India, including in the Titan Industries and Anil Kapoor lines of cases below.
