$15 Million Suit Over TV Packaging

Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million, and the facts of the case are about as straightforward as a lawsuit gets. The electronics giant allegedly took a photograph of Lipa, one she owns the copyright to, taken backstage at the Austin City Limits Festival in 2024, and placed it on the cardboard packaging of its televisions as part of a mass marketing campaign. No permission was sought. No fee was paid.

When Lipa became aware of the usage and demanded that the company stop, Samsung was reportedly “dismissive and callous” and refused. The complaint, filed Friday in the Central District of California, states plainly: “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. Ms. Lipa did not allow and would not have allowed this use.”

The lawsuit is built on multiple legal foundations: a copyright violation, a violation of California’s right of publicity statute, a federal Lanham Act claim, and trademark claims. Together, they amount to a comprehensive legal argument that Samsung not only used Lipa’s image without authorisation but also actively profited from the false impression that she had endorsed their products.

The complaint cites customer comments on X as evidence that the strategy worked. “I wasn’t even planning on buying a TV, but I saw the box, so I decided to get it,” wrote one customer quoted in the filing. Another wrote that they would buy the TV “just because Dua Lipa is on it.” A third distilled the commercial logic of the entire situation with accidental precision: “If you need to sell something, just put a picture of Dua Lipa on it.” Samsung has not responded to requests for comment.

The Copyright Details Play a huge Role

Dua Lipa files $15 MILLION lawsuit against Samsung alleging the manufacturer used her face to sell TVs without compensation or permission. pic.twitter.com/ta6SWUmubH

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 10, 2026

The fact that Lipa owns the copyright to the photograph in question significantly strengthens her legal position beyond the right of publicity claim alone. This is not simply a case of a public figure objecting to how their image was used in the public domain. The photograph was taken at a private backstage setting, and Lipa holds the intellectual property rights to it. Samsung’s alleged use therefore constitutes both an unauthorised appropriation of her likeness and a direct infringement of a copyright she holds. That combination makes the lawsuit considerably more difficult for Samsung to navigate than a standard celebrity image dispute.

The complaint also addresses the specific commercial harm to Lipa beyond the immediate financial loss. Her legal team argues she has cultivated a “premium brand” and is “highly selective” in making product endorsements, a characterisation that is straightforwardly verifiable given her documented partnership history. When a highly selective endorser has their face attached to a mass-market product without consent, the damage is not just financial. It is reputational because it undermines the deliberateness that gives a premium brand its value in the first place.

What Samsung’s Refusal Says About the Case

The sequence of events described in the complaint is the detail that transforms this from a standard image rights dispute into something more significant. Lipa did not file immediately upon discovering the usage. She reached out to Samsung and asked them to stop. The company’s response, characterised in the filing as “dismissive and callous,” and its refusal to comply, turned what might have been resolved privately into a $15 million federal lawsuit. That decision will now cost Samsung considerably more than whatever licensing fee would have been negotiated had they approached Lipa before printing her face on their packaging.

The case lands at a moment when the entertainment industry’s relationship with image rights and likeness authorisation is under more scrutiny than it has been in years. Dua Lipa’s lawsuit against Samsung joins a growing body of litigation from high-profile individuals asserting control over how their identities are used commercially. The outcome will be watched closely, not just for the damage figure but for what it establishes about the consequences of using a celebrity’s image without consent and then refusing to stop when asked. On both counts, Samsung’s position appears difficult to defend.

Featured image: @dualipa/Instagram