Drafting Credit: Sidratul Muntaha, Research Associate
Image credits: via Freepik
The overlap between personality rights and trademark law never fails to fascinate. But can fame alone secure legal protection, or must it be tied to tangible goods and services?
Indian Trademark Registry permits celebrities, like any other applicant, to trademark their names, nicknames, or even image, as a fragment of the regular trademark registration process. While there is no specific category as “celebrity trademarks,” celebrities frequently file pre-emptive applications, under the standard trademark classes to establish brand identity and prevent misuse, exploitation, or imitation.1
If we consider Sachin Tendulkar and his academy, we can see that they have secured numerous trademarks to protect and reinforce brand identity.2 This includes his famous signature (Application No. 811442, Class 28) and the “Sachin Tendulkar” mark, which is registered for cricket equipment under class 28 (Application No. 1968788) and for entertainment services (Class 41, Application No. 2008285).
Similarly, Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most valuable celebrities with significant global recognition, and has trademarked his initials, which include the letters “SRK” (Application No. 1744446) in Class 9, 16, and 25.3 He has also trademarked the brand name “SRKWORLD” (Application No. 968195) in Class 16.4
Over the past year, several notable developments have occurred. According to the Indian Trademarks Registry, Cricket icon MS Dhoni recently joined this trend with his attempt to trademark ‘CAPTAIN COOL’ under Class 41 with Application No. 5966261, which was published in the journal on June 16, 2025, and remained open for opposition.5 As per the latest updates, it has not yet been registered and is currently listed as “Opposed.”6
In the same way, Jackie Shroff has trademarked the word “Bhidu” in Class 25 for clothing (Application No. 3227968) and in Class 41 for entertainment and education (Application No. 3227969). He also trademarked “Bhidu Ka Khopcha” in Class 41 (Application No. 4362494).7 In May 2024, he brought a suit in the Delhi High Court against multiple defendants for the purported unauthorised commercial exploitation of his name, image, voice, and the registered trademark ‘Bhidu’ without permission. He received an ex parte interim injunction from the Court against multiple defendants, including e-commerce sites, and AI Chatbot web services, for breaching his personality and publicity rights.8
These developments highlight a growing trend in which celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan and Jackie Shroff proactively manage their commercial identities through trademark law. By registering and enforcing marks linked to their personal brands, they prevent unauthorised commercial use and strengthen legal control over the economic value associated with their personas.
This trend also shows that fame by itself is not enough. In India, a trademark has to be connected to specific products or services. You can’t just trademark a name or a nickname in a general sense. This is also why Tendulkar’s mark is not only registered in the abstract, but also separately for cricketing equipment under Class 28 and for entertainment services under Class 41. Courts do protect a celebrity’s identity, like their name, voice, or image, from being misused for profit. But even these “personality rights” are tied to the commercial value of that fame. At the end of the day, whether someone is a celebrity or not, the basic rule is the same: a trademark must clearly
identify particular goods or services in the market. It’s not about reputation alone, but about how that reputation is used in business.
- Samridh Ahuja, Can A Celebrity Name Be Registered As A Trademark?, Mondaq (25 April, 2025) https://www.mondaq.com/india/trademark/1185944/can-a-celebrity-name-be-registered-as-a
trademark. ↩︎ - Yashwardhan Singh & Deeksha Singh, In an Era of Non-Traditional Marks: The Possibilities of
Trademarking A Sportspersons’ Celebratory Move, 1(1) E-JAIRIPA, 216, 223 (2022). ↩︎ - From MS Dhoni’s ‘Captain Cool’ to Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘King Khan’: Top 10 celebrities who
trademarked their name, likeness, The Indian Express (2 Jul, 2025, 07:17 PM IST)
https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/top-10-listing/ms-dhoni-captain-cool-shah-rukh-khan
king-khan-top-10-celebrity-trademarks-10102182/. ↩︎ - IP India Trade Mark Registry, (last visited 25 March, 2025, 16:17 IST), available at
https://ipindiaonline.gov.in/tmrpublicsearch/frmmain.aspx. ↩︎ - Rajneesh Gupta, Dhoni’s Application to Trademark “Captain Cool” Gets Accepted, ESPNcricinfo (June
30, 2025, 8:33 PM), https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ms-dhoni-s-application-to-trademark
captain-cool-gets-accepted-1492899.business ↩︎ - Nilanshu Shekhar, KAnalysis Opposes MS Dhoni’s “Captain Cool” Trademark Bid, India Business Law
Journal (July 9, 2025), https://law.asia/captain-cool-trademark-dispute/. ↩︎ - Manisha Chakravarti, A ‘Bhidu’ Anecdote: Analysis of Personality Rights, Intellect Goodwil,
http://www.trademarkiso.com/a-bhidu-anecdote-analysis-of-personality-rights/. ↩︎ - Jaikishan Kakubhai Saraf v. Peppy Store, 2024 SCC OnLine Del 3664. ↩︎
