British pop star Dua Lipa has filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics seeking at least $15 million in damages, accusing the South Korean tech giant of using her image without her permission to market its television sets. The lawsuit alleges that Samsung displayed the pop star’s copyrighted image on the front of cardboard boxes containing televisions for retail sale, allowing the company to profit from the product’s endorsement. The lawsuit states that the alleged image used on the TV box is titled “Dua Lipa – Backstage at Austin City Limits, 2024” and that Lipa owns all rights, title and interest in the image. The lawsuit was filed in California federal court on Friday.
A spokesperson for Samsung Electronics declined to comment, saying it was unable to comment on pending litigation, while Dua Lipa’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case. In addition to copyright and trademark violations, Dua Lipa has accused Samsung Electronics of violating publicity rights.
Lipa’s lawyers attached screenshots of social media postings and comments in the filing, claiming that the pop star’s image on the front of the boxes led potential customers to purchase the product. One of the screenshots shows a fan commenting that he would get the TV “just because Dua is on it.” Her lawyers said the “Levitating” singer became aware of Samsung’s alleged infringement in June last year and demanded that Samsung stop using her image, but the electronics maker repeatedly refused to do so.
She said Samsung’s alleged unauthorized use of Dua Lipa’s image has “caused and continues to undermine” the pop star’s brand identity and commercial goodwill by falsely conveying to the consumer public that she approves and endorses the products in question.