Pop star Dua Lipa has filed a $15 million suit against Samsung for using her photo on boxes of their Crystal UHD line of smart TVs.
The lawsuit alleges violation of Lipa’s “right of publicity,” as well as copyright and trademark infringement, and was filed Friday in California U.S. District Court for Central California.
Boxed in
The boxes are imprinted with an image from a backstage photo of Lipa at the 2024 Austin City Limits Music Festival that the lawsuit asserts Lipa owns the copyright to.
“Ms. Lipa’s face was prominently used for a mass marketing campaign for a consumer product without her knowledge, without consideration, and as to which she had no say, control, or input whatsoever,” the filing states. “Ms. Lipa did not allow and would not have allowed this use.”
A quick search online reveals listings for TVs with Lipa on the packaging, including the Samsung U8000FB at Walmart.
Shut down by Samsung
Over the years of her career, Lipa has had multiple sponsorships, endorsements, and promotional partnerships, none of them with Samsung.
The lawsuit says that Samsung is profiting off of Lipa’s implied endorsement of the TVs and making “a mockery of her hard work in establishing a successful brand and has deprived her of the ability to control and monetize her assets.”
Boxes with the image went on sale beginning in 2025. Lipa contacted Samsung about the issue, but, according to the lawsuit, the company was “dismissive and callous” and continues to sell the product in what it calls “ongoing acts of willful infringement.”
Don’t underestimate the Loves
Lipa’s fans are known as Loves, and the lawsuit presents tweets of theirs regarding the TV packaging.
“I wasn’t even planning on buying a tv but I saw the box so I decided to get it,” one fan wrote.
Another posted, “I’d get that TV just because Dua Lipa is on it. That’s how obsessed I am. That’s how much I love her.”
After the news broke, more tweets followed, including one that shared a Pop Crave tweet about the lawsuit with “Me who bought a Samsung TV because dua Lipa was on it…”
AP has reached out to representatives for Samsung Electronics and Dua Lipa but has not heard back at the time this story published. We will update with any comments.
