Pop star Dua Lipa filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court seeking at least $15 million [1] from Samsung Electronics.
The case highlights the escalating legal tensions between global celebrities and tech giants over the commercial use of personal likenesses in marketing. Such disputes often center on whether a company's use of an image constitutes a fair use or an implied endorsement that requires compensation.
Lipa alleges that Samsung used her image on the front of cardboard boxes for its televisions without her permission [1]. According to the filing, the company used the singer's likeness to promote its products, creating the impression of an endorsement that did not exist [2].
Legal representatives for the 30-year-old singer [3] said that efforts to resolve the issue began long before the court filing. Requests to have the image removed from the packaging reportedly began in June 2025 [4].
While the primary claim focuses on the unauthorized use of her image on packaging [1], other reports describe the action as trademark infringement involving her likeness [5]. Some legal summaries further characterize the suit as a copyright infringement of a specific photographed image [6].
Samsung has not yet issued a formal response to the specific allegations in the federal filing. The lawsuit seeks damages to compensate for the unauthorized commercial gain the company allegedly achieved by using the singer's image to sell hardware [1].
“Dua Lipa filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court seeking at least $15 million from Samsung Electronics.”
This lawsuit underscores the high financial stakes of 'right of publicity' claims in the digital and physical retail age. By seeking $15 million, Lipa is challenging the notion that corporate entities can utilize celebrity imagery for packaging without explicit contracts, potentially setting a precedent for how tech companies manage global supply chain branding and image licensing.
