Samsung has denied any “allegations of intentional misuse” after lawyers for pop star Dua Lipa announced they would sue the electronics giant for allegedly using her image without permission on television packaging.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Samsung said the image was provided by a content partner that gave “explicit assurance” that permission had been secured, including for retail boxes. “Given this assurance, we deny any allegations of intentional misuse,” the company said. Samsung added that it has “great respect for Ms Lipa and the intellectual property of all artists” and has “actively sought and remain open to a constructive resolution with Ms Lipa’s team.”
The lawsuit
Documents filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California show Lipa is suing Samsung Electronics and Samsung Electronics America for at least $15 million (£11 million) in damages. The lawsuit was filed on Friday, May 8, 2026, and alleges copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and violation of Lipa’s right of publicity.
Lipa, a Grammy-winning star known for hits including Levitating and One Kiss, is described in the court papers as a “hugely successful” artist who has “toured extensively and internationally, selling out stadiums across the globe.” The documents list collaborations with Chanel, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Porsche, Apple, Puma, Bvlgari, Nespresso, and Tiffany & Co as evidence of a carefully curated brand identity.
According to the lawsuit, Samsung “exploited Ms Lipa’s carefully curated and extremely valuable brand identity to sell televisions, by using, without authorisation, Ms Lipa’s copyrighted image on the front of cardboard boxes offering Samsung televisions for sale.” Her legal team argues that the company “made a mockery of Ms Lipa’s hard work in establishing a successful brand” and deprived her of the ability to control and monetise her assets by creating a false impression of endorsement.
Social media comments cited in the lawsuit suggest that some fans indicated they would purchase Samsung TVs specifically because Lipa’s image was on the packaging, highlighting the perceived promotional value of her likeness.
Legal basis for the claim
Lipa’s legal team has brought three distinct legal claims, each rooted in US intellectual property and privacy law. The first, copyright infringement, concerns the unauthorised reproduction and distribution of a photograph to which Lipa says she owns the sole copyright. The image is registered with the US Copyright Office under number VA 2-479-685 and titled “Dua Lipa – Backstage at Austin City Limits, 2024.”
The second claim, trademark infringement, centres on the alleged exploitation of Lipa’s identity and commercial goodwill. Her lawyers contend that Samsung’s use of her image on product packaging for a mass marketing campaign—without her knowledge, consent, or compensation—falsely suggested an endorsement and diluted the value of her brand.
The third and most specific claim is for violation of Lipa’s right of publicity. This legal doctrine, which is particularly strong in California, protects individuals from the unauthorised commercial use of their name, likeness, or image. California has both statutory protections (Civil Code §3344) and common law protections for this right. Lipa’s lawsuit argues that Samsung deliberately capitalised on her fame to promote and sell televisions, and that she “did not allow and would not have allowed this use.”
Origin of the image
The photograph at the centre of the dispute was taken backstage at the Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, Texas, in 2024. The festival is a major annual music event, and Lipa performed there that year. Samsung began using the image on TV packaging in 2025, according to the court papers. Lipa became aware of the unauthorised use in June 2025, and her representatives immediately sent a cease-and-desist demand. Samsung allegedly “repeatedly refused” to comply, with Lipa’s lawyers describing the company’s response as “dismissive and callous.”
Samsung, however, maintains that the image was used in 2025 to reflect content available on its free, ad-supported streaming service, Samsung TV Plus, which launched in 2015. The company claims the image was originally provided by a third-party content partner for this service, and that it acted in good faith based on the partner’s assurances that permission had been secured.
Lipa’s legal team disputes this account. They say that despite Samsung’s claims to have begun discontinuing production and replacing affected boxes in July 2025, the products remained on the market and the company repeatedly refused to cease and desist. The lawsuit seeks “no less than $15 million” in actual damages, punitive damages, legal costs, and a permanent injunction to prevent further use of her image.
It is not the first time Samsung’s televisions have faced legal scrutiny. The Texas attorney general previously brought a lawsuit against the company concerning ad-targeting spyware on its TV sets, a case that underscores the broader legal risks technology firms face over how they use and market their products.
