Highlights
- Dua Lipa sues Samsung for $15M over unauthorized use of her image on TV packaging
- The photo, taken at Austin City Limits 2024, was used without Lipa’s knowledge or payment
- Samsung allegedly refused her takedown request, described as “dismissive and callous”
Dua Lipa is done asking nicely. The global pop superstar has filed a $15 million lawsuit against South Korean electronics titan Samsung, alleging the company slapped her image on TV packaging without her knowledge, her consent, or — crucially — her check.
The complaint, filed Friday (May 9, 2026) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, states that Samsung used Lipa’s image on the cardboard packaging of its TVs beginning last year.
When Lipa found out, she did what any reasonable person would do — she told them to knock it off. They didn’t.
The suit alleges that the company was “dismissive and callous” in refusing her request. That kind of response to one of the biggest pop stars on the planet? Bad move, Samsung.
“Ms. Lipa’s face was prominently used for a mass marketing campaign for a consumer product without her knowledge, without consideration, and as to which she had no say, control, or input whatsoever,” the lawsuit states. “Ms. Lipa did not allow and would not have allowed this use.”
The photograph at the center of the dispute isn’t just any fan snap. The complaint claims that Dua Lipa owns the copyright to the image, which was taken backstage at the Austin City Limits Festival in 2024. In other words, Samsung didn’t just use her face — they allegedly used a photo she owns.
The suit doesn’t stop at vibes and grievances, either. The filing accuses Samsung of multiple legal violations, including copyright infringement, violation of California’s right of publicity statute, trademark infringement, and violations under the federal Lanham Act.
The lawsuit quotes comments on X, formerly known as Twitter, suggesting that at least some customers were moved to purchase Samsung TVs by the apparent endorsement. “I wasn’t even planning on buying a tv but I saw the box so I decided to get it,” wrote one commenter, quoted in the complaint. “I’d get that TV just because Dua Lipa is on it,” wrote another. “That’s how obsessed I am. That’s how much I love her.”
Another commenter wrote that if you need to sell something, “Just put a picture of Dua Lipa on it.” Samsung, apparently, agreed — and that’s exactly the problem.
The lawsuit makes clear that Lipa’s likeness isn’t some free-floating marketing asset for any corporation to borrow. The suit states that Lipa has cultivated a “premium brand” and is “highly selective” in making product endorsements. Every partnership she takes carries weight because she guards her image ferociously. Samsung allegedly trampled right over that.
According to the suit, Samsung profited from the use of her image, implying that Lipa had endorsed the product, which is not the case. A false endorsement from someone of Lipa’s caliber doesn’t just sting — it undermines years of carefully curated brand-building.
As of press time, Samsung has not publicly issued an official response to the $15 million lawsuit. The silence is telling.
Lipa, for her part, is making it crystal clear: her face, her rules, her money.
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