Pop star Dua Lipa has initiated a lawsuit against Samsung, claiming the electronics manufacturer used her image for marketing its televisions without her permission or compensation. The legal action seeks $15 million in damages.
According to the complaint, Samsung began featuring Lipa’s likeness on the packaging of its televisions starting last year. Upon discovering this unauthorized use, Lipa requested that the company cease its actions. The lawsuit alleges that Samsung responded with indifference, ignoring her request.
“Lipa’s face was widely used in a mass marketing campaign for a consumer product without her knowledge, without any compensation, and without giving her the opportunity to express her opinion, control the process, or influence it. Lipa did not consent to such use and would never have agreed to it,”
the lawsuit states.
The complaint further asserts that Samsung profited from the misleading impression that Lipa was endorsing their products, which she did not. It cites her ownership of the copyright for a photograph taken behind the scenes at the Austin City Limits festival in 2024, which was allegedly used without her consent.
Comments from social media users included in the lawsuit indicate that some consumers were motivated to purchase Samsung televisions specifically because of the marketing featuring Lipa. One user noted, “I didn’t even plan to buy a TV, but I saw the box and decided to get it,” while another stated, “I would buy this TV just because Dua Lipa is on it. That’s how obsessed I am. That’s how much I love her.” Another remarked that to sell something, “just put a picture of Dua Lipa on it.”
The lawsuit claims that Lipa has built a “premium brand” and is selective about the products she endorses. Additionally, it alleges violations of copyright law, California’s right of publicity law, the federal Lanham Act, and trademark rights. The suit has been filed in the Central District Court of California.
About Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa, born on August 22, 1995, in London to Albanian parents from Kosovo, rose to fame after signing a record deal in 2014. Before her music career, she worked as a model. Her self-titled debut album released in 2017 reached number three on the UK charts.
Her second album, Future Nostalgia (2020), topped the UK charts and was a top-three hit in the US, featuring the successful single “Don’t Start Now,” which reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100. The album’s single “Levitating” was certified diamond by the RIAA in the US.
In 2023, Lipa contributed to the soundtrack of the film Barbie with the song “Dance the Night” and made her acting debut in a cameo role. Her third album, Radical Optimism, released in 2024, also achieved chart-topping success in the UK, and she was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people that year.
Her accolades include:
- Seven Brit Awards;
- Three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist;
- Two MTV Europe Music Awards;
- One MTV Video Music Award;
- Two Billboard Music Awards;
- One American Music Award;
- Two Guinness World Records.
Dua Lipa has filed a $15 million lawsuit against Samsung for using her image on television packaging without permission. The lawsuit highlights issues of copyright and publicity rights, alleging that Samsung profited from the misleading impression of her endorsement.
Source: Variety