This episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/06/22/are-personality-rights-of-athletes-protected-in-india%ef%bf%bc/

Last year, the news of Indian shuttler PV Sindhu being the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals for the country was flooding the social media and news channels.  While the whole country was celebrating the win, simultaneously the headlines “PV Sindhu takes 20 brands to court for using her name and image without permission” was being circulated. This sparked a much-needed discussion in the Indian Sports Law community about Personality Rights of Athletes in India. 

India like most nations around the world does not have a separate statue governing personality rights. Currently, the Intellectual Property Rights regime in India do not define personality rights and neither do they protect these rights directly. Unlike the legislature, the Indian judiciary has been more than receptive towards the need for formal recognition of personality rights.