Pop superstar Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million for putting her face on TV boxes without permission

World-famous singer Dua Lipa has recently filed a $15 million (£11 million) lawsuit against Samsung for using her likeness to sell TVs without her permission or consent. The complaint was filed on May 8th, 2026, in the US District Court for the Central District of California. The complaint accuses Samsung of copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and misappropriation of Lipa's image and likeness.

According to the lawsuit, Samsung is using an image of Dua Lipa taken at the 2024 Austin City Limits Festival on its TV product boxes. The complaint claims that Ms. Lipa owns the rights to the image, and Samsung's packaging was "designed to improperly capitalize on Ms. Lipa's hard-earned success" for the promotion of their products. Samsung was thus sent multiple "cease and desist" letters from Ms. Lipa's legal team, all of which were ignored according to the lawsuit.

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The suit alleges that Samsung was profiting financially by using Dua Lipa's likeness and quotes several social media comments from fans of Ms. Lipa who were apparently convinced to buy a Samsung TV just because of her appearance on the box. According to Ms. Lipa's legal team, Samsung has violated California's right of publicity statute, as well as trademark and copyright infringement claims. The singer is demanding $15 million in damages, as well as punitive damages and legal costs.

Samsung has now issued a statement to Billboard on the matter, saying that the image was obtained through a third-party partner. The Korean giant also claims that it was assured by said partner that permission to use Dua Lipa's image had been secured. The company has denied any intentional misuse and is open to finding a constructive solution with Ms. Lipa's legal team.

Samsung has since halted production of the famous "Dua Lipa boxes" and has replaced the packaging. However, it does not seem likely that the lawsuit will be settled immediately, given that Samsung has shifted the blame to an unnamed third party. Still, it's important to wait for the legal proceedings before drawing firm conclusions.