Dua Lipa is suing Samsung and seeking at least 15 million dollars over a photograph on television packaging
British singer Dua Lipa has filed a lawsuit in the United States against Samsung, claiming that the company used her photograph on television packaging without her consent and thereby created the impression that she endorsed or advertised the product. According to the allegations in the lawsuit reported by American and British media, the dispute concerns a photograph taken backstage at the Austin City Limits 2024 festival, which, according to the singer's legal team, appeared on television boxes from Samsung's Crystal UHD line. Dua Lipa is seeking at least 15 million dollars in damages, as well as a court injunction preventing further use of the disputed image.
According to reports by Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian and Music Business Worldwide, the lawsuit was filed on May 8, 2026, before the federal court for the Central District of California. It states that Samsung Electronics and Samsung Electronics America used the photograph on television packaging without approval, payment or a contract with the singer. Dua Lipa's legal team claims that the photograph was prominently displayed on the front of the cardboard packaging, in other words in a place that customers see when buying in stores or when browsing products in online sales.
The case is important because it does not concern only the issue of copyright over the photograph, but also the right of a public figure to control the commercial use of her own likeness. According to the allegations in the lawsuit cited by American media, Samsung's use of the photograph could have created the impression among some customers of an approved advertising partnership. The singer's team claims that such an association has market value, especially because Dua Lipa carefully chooses the brands with which she publicly collaborates.
What is in the lawsuit against Samsung
According to Entertainment Weekly's report, the lawsuit states that the disputed photograph is protected by copyright and that Samsung used it for commercial purposes without permission. According to the same source, the filing claims that such copying and distribution constitute intentional infringement of copyright and trademark rights, as well as a violation of the right to commercial use of likeness. The singer's legal team also claims that Samsung profited from the impression that there was a connection between the televisions and Dua Lipa.
The Guardian states that the disputed photograph was taken backstage at the Austin City Limits 2024 festival and that it was used on packaging for televisions sold in the US. According to the same report, the singer claims that she learned about the use of the photograph in June 2025 and afterward asked the company to stop using it. According to media reports, the lawsuit emphasizes that Samsung did not comply with repeated demands to stop using the photograph.
Music Business Worldwide states that Dua Lipa filed the lawsuit on Friday, May 8, and that she is seeking at least 15 million dollars. According to available reports, that amount is not presented only as compensation for the photograph itself, but also as a claim connected with the alleged commercial benefit Samsung gained by using her likeness. According to available information, the lawsuit also seeks other measures, including a court injunction against the further sale or distribution of products with the allegedly disputed packaging.
According to Entertainment Weekly's report, Samsung did not immediately publicly comment on the allegations in the lawsuit. The currently available information is therefore based mainly on the claims of the singer's side and media access to the court filing. Since the proceedings are only beginning, the court has not yet decided on the merits of the claims.
The photograph from the Austin City Limits festival at the center of the dispute
The key element of the case is a photograph described in reports as a backstage shot of Dua Lipa from the Austin City Limits 2024 festival. This is a music festival in Austin, in the state of Texas, and the photograph, according to allegations in the lawsuit cited by the media, is registered as a copyrighted work. In a legal sense, such a claim can be important because disputes over photographs often involve separate questions: who owns the copyright to the image itself and who has the right to commercially use the depiction of the person shown in the photograph.
According to The Next Web's report, the photograph was allegedly used from 2025 on Crystal UHD television packaging, both in retail and online channels. According to that source, the lawsuit states that the image ended up on packaging for televisions sold in broad distribution. The scope of distribution could be one of the important issues as the proceedings continue, because the amount of any potential damages may depend on how many products were sold, where they were sold and to what extent the photograph was visible to customers.
The singer's legal team claims that the photograph did not appear as an incidental decoration, but as a visual element that could have influenced the perception of the product. According to allegations reported by The Guardian, the lawsuit also mentions the financial benefit Samsung allegedly gained from an unauthorized association with the famous musician. In such disputes, courts often consider not only the technical question of whether the image was copied, but also the market context in which it was used.
For public figures such as Dua Lipa, the issue of control over their own image is especially important. Her name, appearance and public recognizability have commercial value that is negotiated in the advertising industry through campaigns, licences and ambassador contracts. If it is proven that Samsung used her likeness in such a way that an average consumer could conclude that there was approval or a business relationship, the case could become an issue of unauthorized exploitation of a famous identity.
Why the issue of consent is crucial in commercial advertising
According to the allegations in the lawsuit reported by American media, Dua Lipa did not give Samsung consent to use her photograph for the sale of televisions. In commercial advertising, consent is crucial because a photograph of a famous person carries not only aesthetic value, but also a message. When the likeness of a musician, athlete or actor appears on product packaging, consumers may assume that it is an approved campaign, even if that is not explicitly written.
The singer's team claims that Samsung thereby created the impression of false sponsorship or endorsement. Entertainment Weekly states that the lawsuit also includes claims connected with the American Lanham Act, a federal law used in the US in disputes over trademarks, misleading representation and false designation of origin or association of products. In this case, according to the allegations in the lawsuit, the disputed issue is that a consumer could have connected Samsung's televisions with Dua Lipa as a person who endorses them.
Such disputes often do not come down only to the question of whether a photograph looked good on the packaging. It is also important whether its use could have influenced customer behavior. According to reports that cite the lawsuit, the singer's side states that some fans commented on social networks about buying a television after seeing her picture on the packaging. If the case proceeds, the court will have to assess the legal relevance of such claims and their connection with any potential damages.
According to available information, the lawsuit also claims that Samsung continued sales despite demands that it stop using the photograph. If that claim proves true, it could be important in assessing whether the infringement was intentional. Samsung will have the opportunity in the proceedings to respond to the allegations and present its own interpretation of how the photograph was obtained and used.
Dua Lipa already has valuable commercial partnerships
One of the arguments from the singer's side concerns the market value of her likeness and name. Entertainment Weekly states that the lawsuit mentions her earlier partnerships and collaborations with brands such as Puma, YSL Beauty, Bvlgari, Nespresso, Porsche, Apple, Chanel and Tiffany & Co. Such examples in the lawsuit serve to show that the commercial use of her image is not accidental or worthless, but part of a carefully managed public career.
For global-level musicians, brand contracts are often separate from recording and concert activity. When an artist agrees to collaborate with a company, the terms for the use of the name, photograph, voice and duration of the campaign are negotiated. If the likeness of a famous person is used without such a contract, the dispute can concern both lost compensation and damage to control over commercial association.
According to the claims in the lawsuit, precisely that control was undermined. The singer's side believes that Samsung exploited Dua Lipa's recognizability in a sales context without payment and without an agreement. In that sense, the requested amount of at least 15 million dollars does not relate only to the photograph as a file, but to the broader commercial value of her likeness and reputation.
The lawsuit does not mean that the court has already accepted those claims. The initial filing represents the presentation of the plaintiff's allegations, and the defendant has yet to respond. Only after the response, the exchange of evidence and any possible trial can legally established facts be discussed.
Samsung televisions and the sensitivity of large consumer campaigns
Samsung is one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer electronics, and televisions are among the most visible categories of its products. Television packaging has an important marketing function because it conveys an impression of the product to the customer, especially in physical stores. For that reason, any image that includes a recognizable person may carry additional legal weight.
According to available reports, the disputed products are connected with the Crystal UHD line, one of Samsung's television brands for the mass consumer market. If it turns out that the photograph was used in a large number of retail locations and online displays, the case could raise the question of internal procedures by which large companies verify rights to visuals. In practice, large campaigns usually include a chain of photo selection, packaging design, legal review and distribution to retailers.
Disputes over visuals on packaging can be complex. The court could consider who obtained the photograph, under what conditions, whether a licence existed and whether the rights to the person's likeness were separately resolved. Even when there is a right to use the photograph, that does not automatically have to mean that there is a right to use the likeness of a famous person to advertise a product.
According to Bloomberg Law's report, the lawsuit concerns alleged infringement of copyright and trademark rights through the use of the singer's image on cardboard television boxes. Such wording shows that the singer's legal team does not view the case only as a dispute over one photograph, but as a broader case of commercial representation. For Samsung, which had not publicly commented at the time media reports were published, the next step will be a legal response to the allegations and possibly a challenge to the singer's claims.
What Dua Lipa is asking from the court
According to media reports, Dua Lipa is asking the court for at least 15 million dollars in damages, but also for measures that would prevent further use of the photograph. The Guardian states that the singer is seeking a permanent injunction, which in practice could mean stopping the use of the disputed packaging or other materials that include the photograph. Such a request is common in disputes in which the plaintiff claims that the infringement is continuing and that monetary compensation alone is not sufficient.
According to reports, the lawsuit states that Samsung ignored or refused to act on multiple demands to stop using the photograph. If it is confirmed that such demands were sent and that sales continued, this could affect the question of intent and potentially the amount of compensation. However, for now there is no publicly available court decision that would confirm those claims.
In addition to monetary compensation and an injunction, such proceedings often also seek the return of benefits obtained by the alleged infringement, reimbursement of costs and attorney's fees. According to Korea Herald's report, the singer's side is also seeking measures to ban the sale of products with the allegedly disputed depiction and compensation for damages. The exact scope of the claims will become clearer as the proceedings progress and as court documents become more publicly available.
For now, the most important point is that this is a civil lawsuit, not a criminal proceeding. The burden of proof will be on the singer's side, which must show that rights were infringed and that there is a basis for the requested damages. Samsung, on the other hand, will be able to argue that there was no infringement, that it had appropriate rights or that the amount being sought is not justified.
The broader significance of the case for musicians, brands and advertising
Dua Lipa's case against Samsung fits into a broader trend of the increasing value of the personal image of famous people. In a digital and retail environment, a photograph of a celebrity can very quickly become a strong sales signal, especially when it appears on a product that is massively distributed. For that reason, musicians, actors and athletes increasingly strictly control where their image appears and in what commercial context.
For brands, the case is a reminder that rights to a photograph and rights to use someone's likeness are not always the same thing. A company may have access to a photograph, but that does not necessarily mean that it may use it as part of packaging, an advertisement or a sales campaign. If the photograph contains a recognizable public figure, permission for the commercial use of her identity must also be checked.
For the music industry, the dispute further shows how important marketing partnerships have become as part of the careers of major performers. Dua Lipa is not only a performer with an international audience, but also a person whose public image is used in fashion, cosmetic, technology and luxury campaigns. That is precisely why unauthorized association with a major consumer product may have consequences that go beyond the value of a single photograph.
The proceedings against Samsung are still at an early stage, so it is currently not possible to conclude how the court will decide. According to available information, the singer claims that her image was used without consent and that Samsung did not comply with demands to stop using it. The company will have the opportunity to present a response, and the final outcome will depend on evidence, contracts, licences and the court's assessment of whether the average buyer could have gained the impression that Dua Lipa endorses Samsung televisions.
Sources:
- Entertainment Weekly – report on the lawsuit, allegations from the court filing, the damages sought and Samsung's lack of public comment (link)
- The Guardian – report on the lawsuit, the photograph from the Austin City Limits festival, allegations about television packaging and the request for an injunction against use (link)
- Music Business Worldwide – report on the date the lawsuit was filed, the amount sought and allegations about the use of the photograph without permission (link)
- The Next Web – report on the use of the photograph on Crystal UHD television packaging and allegations about demands to stop using it (link)
- Bloomberg Law – report on the legal bases of the lawsuit, including allegations concerning copyright and trademark rights (link)
- Korea Herald – report on the lawsuit against Samsung Electronics and Samsung Electronics America and the requests for a sales ban and damages (link)