Nesargi Law Group-Intellectual Property Law Services

08/02/2025

The Rise of AI in Bollywood: Creativity or Copyright Chaos?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a sci-fi concept—it’s actively shaping Bollywood. From AI-generated scripts to deepfake actors and voice cloning, the film industry is witnessing a technological revolution. But with innovation comes a critical question: Who owns AI-generated content?

AI’s Growing Role in Bollywood

Filmmakers are now leveraging AI to:

✅ Generate Scripts & Dialogues – AI tools like ChatGPT assist in scriptwriting by analyzing Bollywood’s vast storytelling history. But if an AI co-writes a blockbuster, who owns the copyright—the writer, the producer, or the AI developer?

✅ Recreate Actors with Deepfake Tech – Imagine watching a new film featuring Madhubala or Rajesh Khanna, digitally recreated with AI. While this technology opens creative possibilities, it raises ethical and legal concerns. Should estates of deceased actors have control over their AI likeness?

✅ Automate Dubbing & Voice Cloning – AI can clone an actor’s voice, allowing seamless multilingual dubbing. But does the actor retain rights over their AI-generated voice, or can studios use it without consent?

✅ Compose AI-Generated Music – AI can remix classics and generate original scores by studying musical trends. But if an AI-generated tune resembles an old Bollywood hit, does it infringe copyright?

The Legal & Ethical Challenges Ahead

AI blurs the lines of authorship and copyright in Bollywood:

⚖️ Who owns an AI-generated script? Indian copyright law recognizes human creators—but what happens when AI plays a major role?

⚖️ Can AI use copyrighted material to ‘learn’? If AI-generated songs or scripts mimic past works, should original creators get royalties?

⚖️ What about consent? Deepfake technology could allow studios to cast digital versions of actors—without their approval. Does that violate personality rights?

As Bollywood embraces AI, the industry must prepare for legal reforms and ethical guidelines

27/03/2023

BITTER TRUTH: SHOCKING REALITY OF TRADEMARK BULLYING IN INDIA
Trademark bullying is a growing concern in India, where large companies are accused of using their presence and power to intimidate and harass smaller businesses. This practice stifles creativity and innovation, suppresses competition, and discourages entrepreneurship, ultimately harming small businesses from growing. In this article, we will look at some of the notable cases of trademark bullying in India and the legal implications of such practices.
One of the most high-profile cases of trademark bullying in recent years is the ongoing dispute between Tata Sons and Shapoorji Pallonji Group. Shapoorji Pallonji, which owns a minority stake in Tata Sons, had been using the trademark "Tata" in its construction projects for several years. However, in 2020, Tata Sons filed a legal notice against Shapoorji Pallonji, accusing them of trademark infringement and demanding that they stop using the Tata name.
Shapoorji Pallonji countered that they had been using the Tata name for legitimate business purposes and that Tata Sons' legal notice was an attempt to stifle competition. The case is still ongoing, and the outcome could have far-reaching implications for the use of trademarks in India.
Another notable case of trademark bullying is the Burger King and Burger Singh case. As we discussed earlier, Burger King had accused the small Indian fast-food joint Burger Singh of trademark infringement, claiming that the name "Burger Singh" was too similar to their own brand name. However, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of Burger Singh, stating that there was no likelihood of confusion between the two brands and that Burger King had engaged in trademark bullying.
The Starbucks vs. SardarBuksh case is another example of trademark bullying in India. In this case, Starbucks had accused the small Indian coffee chain SardarBuksh of trademark infringement, claiming that their name was too similar to the Starbucks brand name. However, the case was settled out of court, with SardarBuksh agreeing to change their name to "Sardarji-Bakhsh."
The legal costs of defending against a trademark infringement claim can be crippling for small businesses, and in some cases, even the threat of legal action can force them to change their name or logo. On the other hand, large companies that engage in trademark bullying risk damaging their reputation and losing the trust of consumers.
If you're a small business owner facing trademark infringement claims or any other legal challenges, it's important to seek legal assistance from experienced attorneys who can help you navigate the complex legal landscape. At Nesargi Law Group, we have extensive experience representing small businesses in similar matters and can help you protect your business interests. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how we can assist you with your legal needs.

02/04/2019

Finally a place to learn comprehensively about Trademark laws in India; authored by me and published by Lawskills, an e-learning company owned by Manupatra.

Please go to the link as mentioned below:

Have a question about something specific? Contact LawSkills’ General Support Team directly for a quick and efficient response:

22/09/2018

http://lawandpracticeblog.com/patent-identification-and-strategy-to-protect-for-early-stage-startups/

The post is in continuation of the previous post here. The post has been contributed by Ms. Rajalakshmi V Nesargi who specializes in Intellectual Property related matters. She holds most of her pro…

04/09/2018

I consciously publish my articles on platforms that promote non-exclusivity. The reason being that I spend a lot of time on R&D for the articles. Having spent so much time authoring articles, I aim on reaching out to the maximum number of people and this is possible only through platforms that promote non-exclusivity on articles posted/published on their platforms. Love NASSCOM and lawandpracticeblog.com blog for this.

Here is one article published on NASSCOM and on www.lawandpracticeblog.com
https://www.facebook.com/NasscomForStartUps/photos/a.551096681580764/1790711430952610/?type=3&theater

http://lawandpracticeblog.com/guest-post-steps-to-create-legally-strong-intellectual-property-ip-based-companies/

Unclouding the legal practice!

15/03/2018

Follow me here and please give me your inputs/suggestions to make it more valuable!

Be it Coke’s stringent formula policy or Facebook’s infamous patent-war, the ultimate lesson is copyright protection's no joke. Rajalakshmi Nesargi helps decode the IP protection game through a series of short on . http://bit.ly/2zA9Uyi

09/03/2018

Thank you all for giving Nesargi Law Group an opportunity to serve you and thus shine in the process.

Proud to share that Nesargi Law Group has been awarded as the Best IP Boutique Law Firm-Karnataka State by the IP Excellence Awards 2018, hosted by Acquisition International.

20/01/2018

People in our country need education on when to get IP protection and how to strategize it. It is relatively easier to get the protection once these steps are identified. 10,000 startups, a NASSCOM initiative and NLG have published the first part of series article on this front.

16/09/2016

Copyright is not a divine right! it allows people to use it fairly! more to come soon!

The Delhi high court dismissed on Friday suits by three international publishers against the sale of photocopied books and pages in Delhi University, a landmark verdict likely to have a wide-reaching impact on copyright laws in India.

08/09/2016

IP is creation of intangible asset that inturn contributes towards the economic growth of a country. The institutions in India now have to learn more about focused strategic creation and management of IP which is what is lacking in Indian institutions as of date.