Dua Lipa Sues Samsung Over Unauthorised Image Use

Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million.

As per Rolling Stone, the lawsuit comes after the electronics giant put Lipa's image on television boxes without permission.

The singer's legal team filed the lawsuit against Samsung Electronics last week in a California district court according to a complaint obtained by Rolling Stone.

“Ms. Lipa brings this action against Samsung for copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and violation of her right of publicity in order to obtain redress for the massive, continuing, unauthorised commercial exploitation of her valuable image and likeness by Samsung on cardboard television boxes,” the lawsuit states.

While Lipa has “collaborated with Porsche, Apple, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., and many other high luxury and fashion houses,” the singer never agreed to a promotional deal with Samsung. However, a photo of her appears on boxes for televisions featuring Samsung TV Plus, where she is used to promote the Xite Hits channel.

“Recognising Ms. Lipa’s notoriety and goodwill, Samsung used a copyrighted image of Ms. Lipa (the “DL Image”) without authority or license and prominently featured it on the front of cardboard boxes containing Samsung manufactured televisions for retail sale,” the lawsuit adds.

The image was taken of the singer backstage prior to her performance at the 2024 Austin City Limits Festival.

The lawsuit states that Lipa became aware of her appearance on the television boxes in June of last year.

Soon after, fans began commenting about the “Dua Lipa TV Box” on social media. “Another fan commented that they would ‘get that tv just because Dua is on it.’ Yet another aptly noted, ‘if you need anything selling just put a picture of Dua Lipa on it,’” the lawsuit says.

“Samsung mass-manufactured, distributed (or caused to be distributed) marketed, and sold in interstate commerce across the United States a vast number of its televisions in various sizes in these cardboard boxes containing the DL Image. Samsung’s copying and distribution of the DL Image constitutes willful copyright and trademark infringement, and a violation of Ms. Lipa’s right of publicity, designed to improperly capitalize on Ms. Lipa’s hard-earned success to promote and sell Samsung’s products.”

Lipa’s legal team adds that Samsung was “dismissive and callous” toward the singer’s “repeated demands that it cease and desist from infringing on her rights.”

“Samsung’s arrogance in refusing to stop its infringement confirms its conscious disregard of Ms. Lipa’s intellectual property and personal identity rights, intent on monetizing its products for its own benefit by capitalizing on the implied (false) association with Ms. Lipa as a sponsor of Samsung’s mass-marketed television sets in the boxes on which she is prominently featured,” the lawsuit states.

Lipa's team is seeking damages “no less than $15 million” for the “copyright infringement, trademark infringement and misappropriation of Plaintiff’s likeness and image.”