Dua Lipa has filed a lawsuit seeking at least $15 million from Samsung, alleging unauthorized use of her copyrighted image.
A British pop star has taken on one of the world’s best-known electronics brands, filing a lawsuit that seeks at least $15 million from Samsung Electronics over claims that the company used her likeness without permission.
Dua Lipa’s complaint. filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. alleges Samsung illegally used a copyrighted image of her and also violated what the lawsuit describes as her “right of publicity.” In addition to that allegation. the filing claims infringement of her copyright and trademark rights.
The lawsuit focuses on packaging: it says Samsung used the image for television cardboard boxes that were in circulation last year.. That detail matters because it places the dispute not on a one-off online post or promotional banner. but on mass-produced retail materials designed to reach consumers at the point of purchase.
According to the complaint, the image allegedly originated from a performance by Lipa at the Austin City Limits music festival in 2024. The filing also claims that once Lipa and her team became aware of the packaging use in June 2025, they repeatedly asked Samsung to stop.
The legal strategy described in the court filing portrays Samsung’s response as dismissive. The complaint alleges the company repeatedly refused the requests to remove the image, framing that continued use as unauthorized and harmful to Lipa’s control over how her image is presented.
Lipa’s lawyers say the campaign used her face prominently for a broad marketing effort for a consumer product without her knowledge and without what they characterize as any meaningful consideration or input.. The lawsuit argues the partnership would not have been approved by Lipa in the first place. portraying her as selective about endorsements.
The filing points to a list of brand partnerships that Lipa has previously aligned with. including Apple. Porsche. Versace. Bulgari and Nespresso.. That broader context is used to support the claim that celebrity endorsements are not automatic for every commercial use. and that using her image without consent undercuts her established approach to sponsorships.
Beyond copyright claims, the lawsuit also addresses what it describes as “mixed signals” in the packaging.. The underlying argument is that the presence of a celebrity image may affect how consumers view and choose the product. strengthening the brand association and potentially steering spending based on celebrity ties rather than solely on the television itself.
In an additional attempt to illustrate impact, the complaint includes references to online activity that allegedly reflects how consumers perceived the image’s influence. Lipa’s legal team shared screenshots in the filing showing users discussing purchases after seeing her face on the packaging.
One example quoted in the lawsuit includes a social media post saying the user would buy the television because Dua Lipa was on it.. As the lawsuit became public. more users turned to social media to echo similar reactions. with one post on X stating that the user bought a Samsung TV in 2019 primarily because of Lipa’s image. not because of product quality. features. or price.
For Samsung. the allegations raise a familiar but high-stakes question in consumer advertising: where the line sits between incidental image usage and commercial marketing that leverages a recognizable public figure for brand benefit.. The claims also underline how disputes can extend beyond a single intellectual property theory, bundling publicity rights with trademark-related assertions.
For consumers and brands. the case highlights how celebrity likeness can function as a commercial asset in retail packaging. not just in digital ads.. Even when a product is the primary purchase. the image on the box can shape attention and purchase intent. and the lawsuit suggests that Samsung’s approach may have made that influence central to the complaint.
The court filing. covering the alleged packaging use. repeated requests to stop. and the claims of continued refusal. sets up an early test of how courts evaluate unauthorized celebrity endorsements in everyday merchandising.. Whether Samsung acted improperly—and what damages, if any, should follow—will depend on evidence presented as the case proceeds.
Dua Lipa lawsuit Samsung Electronics right of publicity trademark and copyright celebrity endorsement TV packaging