Pop star sues Samsung for $2.25 billion over unauthorized use of image

 Pop star sues Samsung for $2.25 billion over unauthorized use of image

British pop star and singer Dua Lipa has filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics seeking at least $15 million (about $2.25 billion) in damages. She has sued the company for using her image on television packaging without permission.

According to the complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on Friday, Samsung has been distributing its Crystal UHD TV series across the United States since last year with a picture of Lipa on the front of the cardboard packaging. The photo was taken backstage at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2024. The photo is officially registered with the US Copyright Office under the name Dua Lipa – Backstage at Austin City Limits, 2024. It is claimed that the copyright to the photo belongs to Lipa.

Lipa's legal team is accusing Samsung of copyright infringement, trademark infringement, violation of California's rights of publicity law, and false advertising and false endorsement under the federal Lanham Act. Samsung is alleged to have exploited Lipa's fame and celebrity image by using the image commercially without any agreement, license, or consent. This has led consumers to believe that she is an ambassador for the brand and is associated with the product.

The complaint also cites comments on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) as evidence to support this claim. Some customers say they were influenced to buy the TV because of the image. Users wrote, "I wasn't planning on buying the TV. But I saw Dua Lipa on the box and bought it," and "I bought the TV because it's Dua Lipa, I'm so infatuated with her."

Lipa has maintained her premium brand and is very selective about endorsements. She has made it clear that she has never consented to serve as a packaging model for consumer products and that her face was used in a large marketing campaign without her knowledge and control, she said.

According to court documents, Lipa’s side asked Samsung to stop using the image and remove the distributed materials in June 2025. But the company is accused of ignoring the request and continuing to sell the TVs without taking any concrete action.

For this reason, Lipa is asking the court to immediately stop further sales of the disputed products, to receive at least $15 million in monetary damages, punitive damages and legal costs.

Lipa, 30, who debuted with the single track “New Love” in 2015 and released her first album, Dua Lipa, in 2017, has won three Grammy Awards and seven Brit Awards.

The legal dispute has sparked a huge debate online over copyright and image rights between international brands and celebrities. However, Samsung Electronics has not yet issued any official public response or statement on the matter.