Why is it in the News?

Recently the Indian-American astronomer Shrinivas Kulkarni was awarded the Shaw Prize for Astronomy in 2024 for his work on the physics of astronomical transients.

What are Astronomical Transients?

• Astronomical transients refer to celestial events or phenomena that occur suddenly, brighten or flare up for a brief period of time, and then fade away.
• These events are temporary and transient in nature, lasting from a few seconds to a few years.

Some examples of astronomical transients include:

• Supernovae: These are explosions that mark the end of a massive star's life cycle. They can briefly outshine an entire galaxy before fading away over several weeks or months.
• Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs): These are extremely energetic bursts of gamma-ray radiation that can last from a few milliseconds to several minutes.
  • They are believed to be associated with the collapse of massive stars or the merging of compact objects like neutron stars or black holes.
• Novae: These are smaller explosive events on the surface of a white dwarf star in a binary system, caused by the accretion of material from a companion star.
• Tidal disruption events (TDEs): These occur when a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole and is torn apart by the black hole's gravitational forces, leading to a flare of electromagnetic radiation.
• Fast radio bursts (FRBs): These are intense bursts of radio waves that last only a few milliseconds and originate from distant galaxies. Their exact sources are still being investigated.
• Gravitational wave transients: These are transient events detected as gravitational waves, such as the merging of binary black holes or neutron stars, which produce a brief burst of gravitational radiation.
• Comets and asteroids: The close approach or impact of comets and asteroids can produce transient phenomena like outbursts, flares, or even temporary atmospheres around them.
• Astronomical transients are important for understanding various astrophysical processes, the evolution of celestial objects, and for studying the properties of the universe on different timescales.

Why is it in the News?

Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson has said she was “shocked” and “angered” to hear the voice of GPT-4o, OpenAI’s latest AI model, as it sounded “eerily similar” to her own voice.

What are Personality Rights?

• Personality rights or publicity rights are a subset of “celebrity rights” – a much broader term used to refer to certain rights enjoyed by celebrities.
• Besides personality rights, celebrities also have “privacy rights”, which include the right to be left alone.
• The name, voice, signature, images, or any other feature easily identified by the public are markers of a celebrity’s personality and are referred to as “personality rights.”
• These could include poses, mannerisms, or any other distinct aspect of their public persona.
• Several celebrities register aspects of their personalities as trademarks to use them commercially.
  • For instance, footballer Gareth Bale trademarked the heart shape he makes with his hands as part of goal celebrations.
• The rationale behind such rights is that only the creator or owner of the unique features can gain commercial benefit from them.
• Therefore, unauthorised use could lead to revenue losses.
• In India, actors such as Rajnikanth, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff have approached the courts over “personality rights” in India.
• Recently, the Delhi HC protected the personality and publicity rights of actor Jackie Shroff while restraining various e-commerce stores, AI chatbots, and social media from misusing Shroff’s name, image, voice, and likeness without his consent.

How are Personality Rights Protected in India?

• Although personality rights or their protection are not explicitly defined in Indian statutes, they usually fall under the right(s) to privacy and property.
• Concepts in intellectual property rights cases, such as passing off and deception, are usually applied in such cases while ascertaining if protection is warranted.
• Protection can be given through damages and injunctions.