Dua Lipa filed a $15 million lawsuit against Samsung on Friday (May 8), alleging the company has continuously used her image and likeness to sell TVs without permission or compensation.
The complaint says the company “prominently featured” an unauthorized image of the pop star — of which she’s the registered copyright owner — on Samsung television boxes for retail sale in 2025-2026. It names copyright infringement, trademark infringement and violation of Dua Lipa’s right of publicity.
Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP filed civil action documents on Friday with the United States District Court in the Central District of California, stating Dua Lipa became aware of Samsung using her image in June 2025 and at that time demanded the electronics company cease and desist. The law firm claimed, “Samsung has refused to comply with Ms. Lipa’s repeated demands that it cease and desist from infringing on her rights by the continued exploitation of the Infringing Products. Samsung’s response has been dismissive and callous, and the Infringing Products remain on the market to this day, still being sold throughout the country in ongoing acts of willful infringement.”
“Samsung’s willful and deliberate misconduct has caused, and continues to cause, substantial, manifest, and irreparable harm to Ms. Lipa, while enriching Samsung at her expense,” the complaint says. “By this lawsuit, Ms. Lipa seeks to bring Samsung’s conduct to a stop and to obtain damages for Samsung’s theft of her intellectual and personal identity assets.”
An image of Dua Lipa featured on a Samsung TV box is presented in the court docs; the plaintiff says it’s registered to the artist, who retains sole ownership of the copyright. The picture is described as one taken backstage at Austin City Limits in 2024.
Photos Dua Lipa fans have shared on social media of the Samsung product in question are also featured in the complaint. One fan post is quoted as saying, “I wasn’t even planning on buying a tv but I saw the box so I decided to get it.”
The lawsuit points out Dua Lipa’s commercial success in music, and that she’s previously earned revenue in exchange for approved usage of her image for campaigns in partnership with a variety of major brands: Puma, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Porsche, Apple, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., the 2026 Winter Olympics, Bvlgari and Nespresso.
Among Dua Lipa’s successes are two hit studio albums — 2020’s Future Nostalgia, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and 2024’s Radical Optimism, which launched at No. 2 — and three Grammy wins.
