Unauthorized image use: Dua Lipa demands $15 million from Samsung
Samsung has been selling a TV since 2025 and uses a photo of Dua Lipa on the box. She does not agree with this and is now demanding damages.
The TV box in question
(Image: 26-cv-05019)
British musician Dua Lipa has sued Samsung for at least $15 million in damages because the South Korean electronics company allegedly used a photo of her on the packaging of a television without permission. This is according to the lawsuit, which US magazine Variety has made public. She claims to hold the sole copyright to the image used and that its continued use constitutes copyright and trademark infringement, intended to “improperly capitalize on Ms. Lipa’s hard-earned success to promote and sell Samsung’s products.” The company repeatedly refused to cease the infringement and acted in a “dismissive and callous” manner, the lawsuit states.
“Ms. Lipa would not have allowed this use”
The lawsuit includes several images of the packaging for the Samsung TV U7900F in question. It shows the device, with half of the screen occupied by the menu and the other half by a photo of the singer. According to the lawsuit, this photo was taken backstage at a concert in Austin, Texas, in 2024. Dua Lipa holds all rights to the photo, yet Samsung used it to advertise the TV: “Ms. Lipa did not allow and would not have allowed this use,” the lawsuit further states.
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To prove that the image used actually served as advertising, the lawsuit lists several examples from social networks where people stated they bought the device solely because of the photo: “I wasn’t even planning on buying a tv but I saw the box so I decided to get it,” one reads. Another person reportedly wrote that they only wanted to buy this TV “just because Dua is on it.” The lawsuit (Case No.: 2:26-cv-05019) was filed in California. Samsung did not respond to a request from Variety. The company recently reported record profits. Dua Lipa has won multiple Grammy Awards and is globally known for songs like “One Kiss” and “Houdini.”
(mho)
