Popular singer Dua Lipa has filed a lawsuit against Samsung, accusing the company of using her image without permission to sell its TVs. The singer is seeking $15 million in damages. As per the complaint, Samsung allegedly started using Lipa’s photograph on the cardboard packaging of its televisions last year. The lawsuit claims that the company used the image without informing her or getting approval.
The legal filing also reveals that when Lipa became aware of this, she asked Samsung to stop using the photograph. However, the company was ‘dismissive and callous’ and rejected the request, as per the lawsuit.
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According to Variety, the lawsuit states, ‘Ms. Lipa’s face was prominently used for a mass marketing campaign for a consumer product without her knowledge, without consideration, and as to which she had no say, control, or input whatsoever.’ It further adds, ‘Ms. Lipa did not allow and would not have allowed this use.’
According to the complaint, Samsung benefited from making it appear as if the singer had endorsed the TVs, even though she never agreed to promote the product. The lawsuit also mentions that Lipa owns the copyright to the used photograph, which was taken backstage at the Austin City Limits Festival in 2024.
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To support its claims, the complaint included social media posts from fans who believed the singer was connected to the product. One user wrote on X, ‘I wasn’t even planning on buying a tv but I saw the box so I decided to get it.’
Another comment quoted in the filing said, ‘I’d get that TV just because Dua Lipa is on it. That’s how obsessed I am. That’s how much I love her.’ Meanwhile, a third person wrote, ‘Just put a picture of Dua Lipa on it’ if you want to sell something.
The complaint accuses Samsung of copyright infringement, violating California’s right of publicity statute, breaching the federal Lanham Act, and trademark violation.
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