Rights, camera, action!

Like, comment, but maybe don't share? Acontent creator's guide to copyright laws online and off

- Riddhi Doshi

Hollywood's SAG-AFTRA strike finally ended last week. Among the new rules: If an AI is creating a composite from bits of human actors - Priyanka Chopra Jonas's smile, Cara Delevingne's brows, Olivia Rodrigo's nose - they'll need permission from the actors in question. In September, the Delhi High Court upheld Anil Kapoor's personality rights against misuse by AI. Kapoor's name, image, likeness, voice and other attributes cannot be used without his consent.

Copyright laws now apply to generative programmes. Meanwhile, humans are still confused over what constitutes intellectual property in a world of creators, sharers, samplers and outright thieves. Here are some basics.

● Dressing like a wizard for a Reel.

Intellectual Property rights lawyer Puneet Kumar Agarwal says India's Copyright Act, like similar acts abroad, protects not an idea but an expression. Wizards are generic fantasy characters, appearing in several works. As long as a creator is not trying to pass off as a specific one, say Harry Potter, they're fine. It's why Melissa Hunter's hilarious series Adult Wednesday Addams (2013-2015), featuring the TV character transplanted to today's LA, was shut down.

● Repeating a catchphrase.