Dua Lipa suing Samsung for $15 million over 'unauthorised' use of image

Dua Lipa has filed a $15 million (£11 million) lawsuit against Samsung bosses over the alleged use of her image on television boxes. On Friday, lawyers acting for the Houdini hitmaker submitted civil action documents to the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. based in Korea, and Samsung Electronics America, its U.S. affiliate, are named as defendants. In the lawsuit, the attorneys alleged Samsung had "exploited" the pop star's "valuable image and likeness" on cardboard TV boxes sold between 2025 and 2026. Accordingly, they accused the conglomerate of copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and "violation of (Lipa's) right of publicity in order to obtain redress". "Recognizing Ms. Lipa's notoriety and goodwill, Samsung used a copyrighted image of Ms. Lipa without authority or license and prominently featured it on the front of cardboard boxes containing Samsung-manufactured televisions for retail sale," the lawsuit reads, noting that Lipa is the "sole owner" of the copyright of the image in question. "Samsung has refused to comply with Ms. Lipa's repeated demands that it cease and desist from infringing on her rights by the continued exploitation of the Infringing Products." The image of Lipa was taken backstage at the Austin City Limits music festival in 2024. Elsewhere in the complaint, the lawyers emphasised that the 30-year-old has ongoing relationships with many major brands, including the likes of Bulgari and Nespresso. Representatives for Samsung have not yet responded to the lawsuit.