Madras High Court dismisses actress Tamannaah Bhatia's ₹1 crore claim against Power Soaps

The Madras High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by actress Tamannaah Bhatia challenging the rejection of her ₹1 crore damages claim against Power Soaps Limited over an alleged unauthorised use of her images for the latter's soap products after the expiry of an endorsement agreement [Tamanna Santosh Bhatia v. Power Soaps].

A Division Bench of Justices P Velmurugan and K Govindarajan Thilakavadi upheld an earlier single judge ruling that the actress failed to establish that the company had used her photographs beyond the contractual period.

The dispute arose from a 2008 agreement under which Bhatia had permitted Power Soaps to use her images for the promotion of its soap products for a period of one year, ending October 2009.

Bhatia alleged that despite the expiry of the agreement, the company continued to use her images in product wrappers, advertisements and online listings around 2010–2011, thereby affecting her commercial prospects and causing loss when she was negotiating with competing brands.

She sought damages of ₹1 crore and a permanent injunction restraining further the use of her images by Power Soaps.

However, the single judge dismissed her suit after finding that the materials relied upon by the actress - product wrappers, a purported purchase document and internet listings - were unreliable and failed to establish any connection between the Power Soaps and the alleged misuse of Bhatia's images.

The single judge concluded that Bhatia's claim was unsupported by credible evidence and rejected both the damages claim and a plea for injunction. The single judge proceeded to dismiss the Bhatia's suit with costs.

The Division Bench has now affirmed the single-judge's findings.