THE DIGITAL ECHO: A LEGAL ANALYSIS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE VOICE CLONING AND PERSONALITY RIGHTS IN THE INDIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY
AUTHOR – KHUSHAL PANDEY, FIRST YEAR, NATIONAL LAW INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY, BHOPAL.
BEST CITATION – KHUSHAL PANDEY, THE DIGITAL ECHO: A LEGAL ANALYSIS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE VOICE CLONING AND PERSONALITY RIGHTS IN THE INDIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (4) OF 2026, PG. 630-639, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.
Abstract
Artificial intelligence voice cloning technology has created an acute crisis for the Indian music industry. Platforms employing Real Voice Cloning and generative AI techniques now synthesise new performances in the voices of India’s most celebrated playback singers without consent, compensation, or legal authority. This article analyses the adequacy of India’s existing legal framework, comprising the Copyright Act 1957, the Information Technology Act 2000, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, and the constitutionally recognised right to privacy, in responding to this phenomenon. The article examines the landmark trilogy of cases decided between 2024 and 2026: Arijit Singh v Codible Ventures LLP (Bombay High Court, 2024), Asha Bhosle v Mayk Inc (Bombay High Court, 2025), and Jubin Nautiyal v Unidentified Defendants (Delhi High Court, 2026), and traces the doctrinal lineage from which they descend. It argues that whilst Indian courts have responded with commendable creativity, fashioning injunctions that also extend to the Metaverse, imposing platform liability, and implicating government ministries in enforcement, judge-made law is an insufficient architecture for a systemic challenge. The article concludes with five concrete legislative and regulatory recommendations for a comprehensive statutory framework that protects artistic voices whilst preserving the legitimate development of artificial intelligence technology.
Keywords
Artificial Intelligence; Voice Cloning; Personality Rights; Performers’ Rights; Copyright Act 1957; Right of Publicity; Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023