Popstar Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for featuring an image of her on the packaging of its TVs without her permission.
The Grammy-winning British singer filed her complaint with the US District Court for the Central District of California on Friday, asking to be awarded «no less than $15 million» in damages.
«Ms. Lipa brings this action against Samsung for copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and violation of her right of publicity in order to obtain redress for the massive, continuing, unauthorized commercial exploitation of her valuable image and likeness by Samsung on cardboard television boxes,» the lawsuit reads.
«Samsung cannot comment on pending litigation,» a spokesperson for the company told CNET.
The lawsuit contends that Lipa is the sole owner of the copyright to the image, which features her backstage at Austin City Limits Festival in 2024. It outlines her previous brand partnerships with companies such as Porsche and Apple. This, it states, is evidence of the value of her image to big companies.
It goes on to say that Samsung exploited Lipa’s «carefully curated and extremely valuable brand identity to sell televisions,» and features a number of social media posts from fans who claim they will buy the TV simply because the box features a picture of the singer.
It was these posts that first drew Lipa’s attention to her image on the boxes in June 2025. She immediately issued Samsung with a cease-and-desist order, but the company has continued to ignore her requests, the lawsuit says. Additionally, the suit claims that Lipa’s «highly selective» approach to entering into commercial partnerships means she «has cultivated a premium brand.» She would not, therefore, it says, have associated herself with the «infringing products.» Burn.
Samsung is no stranger to working with A-list celebrities, including Sydney Sweeney and BTS, as brand ambassadors, and its TVs regularly feature among our favorites. Lipa, meanwhile, has never been on Samsung’s books — and right now it looks unlikely that they will work together in the future.