MEDIA LAW SYNOPSIS

PRIVACY RIGHTS OF CELBRITIES AND THEIR DUTIES UNDER MEDIA LAW

Aditya Balaji –BA0130002

Abstract

What are the privacy rights of a public figure? What is the extent to which the celebrities get to
exercise their fundamental right to privacy which has been recently recognized as an integral part
of right to life ? These and numerous other questions crop up every time the media reports some
or any activities of celebrities. The debate of what should be and should not be in the public
forum has still not been settled. Right of sportspersons are on of the contemporary issues in the
media which is sought to be protected by the IP Law regime. The concept of celebrity rights
though protected by the IP law regime is not amply dealt with in the field of media but the same
should be done because of primarily two reasons:

1. The regular appearance of the celebrities in the media

2. The media more often than not provides the medium through which the various rights of the
celebrities are exploited

Research Questions

1. Whether the right to publicity(Medias right) and the right to privacy(sports personnel) can be
maintained simultaneously without any conflict

2.Whether the Media intrusion faced by the celebrities on a regular basis is justified.

3. Whether the celebrities owe a duty towards the public at large due to their place in society
while endorsing a brand.(The issue of brand endorsers liability)

1|Page
Research Objective

In this paper the researcher seeks to strike a balance between the Rights and duties of the Media
and the rights and duties of the celebrities. Further since the celebrities are put on a higher
pedestal in our society the paper will examine the duty of care they owe towards the public at
large.

Literature Review

1. ICC Development Ltd v. Arvee Enterprise

2. The tiger woods scandal controversy

3. Defamation Laws and Intellectual Property Laws

4. The Maggi ( MSG –Lead content) case – Issue of brand endorsers liability

5. Other relevant online articles and cases will be added during research

2|Page