$15 million lawsuit: Dua Lipa takes action against Samsung

Pop star vs. tech giant: Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million because the company printed her photo on TV packaging without permission. Samsung refuses to remove the image – now it will be expensive.

Photo from the festival ends up on TV boxes

An inconspicuous packaging turns into a legal boomerang: British pop singer Dua Lipa has sued the South Korean electronics company Samsung for $15 million. Samsung is said to have printed a photo of the artist on television packaging without permission – and in doing so de facto faked an advertising cooperation that never existed. This is reported by the online magazine Variety. The lawsuit was filed in a US District Court in the US state of California.

According to the singer’s lawyers, Samsung has been using a photo of Dua Lipa on the cardboard boxes of its televisions since last year as part of a nationwide marketing campaign. The picture shows the 30-year-old at a performance – more precisely: backstage at the Austin City Limits Festival 2024. Dua Lipa owns the copyright to this photo. Samsung therefore neither asked for permission nor concluded a license agreement. Instead, her face was featured prominently on mass-produced goods – initially without her knowledge, without compensation and without any control on her part.

“Dismissive and callous” response from Samsung

When Dua Lipa found out about the use, she immediately asked Samsung to remove the image. But the company’s reaction was “dismissive and callous,” according to the lawsuit. Samsung refused to comply and continued the campaign.

“Premium Brand” with selective partnerships

The lawyers emphasize in the lawsuit that Dua Lipa has built an established “premium brand” and is extremely selective about which companies she supports. This is precisely why Samsung’s approach is particularly damaging: it undermines its carefully cultivated brand strategy and could give the impression that it is working indiscriminately with corporations. The legal allegations include copyright infringement, violation of privacy rights under California law, violations of the federal Lanham Act and trademark infringement. Samsung has not yet commented on the lawsuit.