British pop sensation Dua Lipa filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics, accusing the company of using her image without permission to promote its television sets. The singer is reportedly seeking damages of at least $15 million (around Rs 125 crore).
According to reports, the lawsuit was filed on Friday in a California federal court. Dua Lipa accused the tech giant of copyright infringement, trademark infringement and violation of publicity rights.
The legal complaint alleges that Samsung used a copyrighted photograph of the singer on the front of cardboard packaging boxes for televisions sold in retail stores. The lawsuit claims that the company benefited from what appeared to be Dua Lipa’s endorsement of the product.
The image at the centre of the controversy is reportedly titled “Dua Lipa - Backstage at Austin City Limits, 2024.” The lawsuit states that the singer owns “all rights, title and interest” related to the photograph.
As part of the filing, Dua Lipa’s legal team also attached screenshots of social media posts and fan comments to support their claims. Some users allegedly suggested that seeing the singer’s image on the packaging influenced their decision to buy the television. One of the comments featured in the filing reportedly read that the person would purchase the TV “just because Dua is on it.”
According to the lawsuit, the Levitating singer became aware of the alleged misuse in June last year and demanded that Samsung stop using her image. However, her lawyers claimed that the company repeatedly refused to comply.
The filing further alleges that Samsung’s unauthorised use of the singer’s image has “caused and continues to cause dilution” of her “brand identity and commercial goodwill by falsely conveying to the consuming public that she approves of and endorses” the products.
Samsung Electronics has not commented on the matter yet. Dua Lipa’s legal representatives have not yet publicly commented further on the case.
