Dua Lipa Sues Samsung for $15 Million for Using Her Photo on TV Boxes

Singer Dua Lipa has filed a $15 million lawsuit against Samsung, claiming the company placed a photo of her face on TV boxes without her permission. The lawsuit was filed on May 8 in federal court in California. Considering that the TV sets found their way to stores all across the US, the lawsuit names both Samsung’s US subsidiary and its South Korean parent company as defendants.

[Related Reading: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”]

The image in question was taken backstage at the Austin City Limits music festival in 2024. According to the complaint, Lipa is “the owner of all rights, title and interest in the image titled ‘Dua Lipa – Backstage at Austin City Limits, 2024’” and she never authorized Samsung to use it. She says she had no idea it was happening, received no payment, and would never have agreed to it.

Samsung allegedly put the photo prominently on the front of boxes for multiple TV models, which were then sold at major retailers, including Best Buy and Target. Searching for this TV box photo, I also saw it on Walmart’s website, although it’s been marked as “not available anymore.”

The singer says she learned about it in June 2025. As you can probably guess, no one from Samsung notified her, but it was social media. Fans had started calling the product the “Dua Lipa TV Box,” and comments started spreading, eventually catching the singer’s attention. The lawsuit cites one fan who wrote they would “get that TV just because Dua is on it,” and another one saying that, if you need to sell anything, “just put a picture of Dua Lipa on it.”

After finding out, Lipa’s team reportedly sent Samsung repeated demands to pull the packaging. According to the lawsuit, Samsung’s response has been “dismissive and callous,” and the “Dua Lipa TV” box remains on the market to this day, “still being sold throughout the country in ongoing acts of willful infringement.”

The lawsuit covers copyright infringement, trademark infringement, false endorsement, and violation of her right of publicity under California law. Lipa is seeking at least $15 million in damages, a cut of Samsung’s profits from the infringing products, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and a court order to stop the use permanently.

But wait, doesn’t the photographer own the copyright? I hear you ask. Good question, and it’s one the lawsuit doesn’t fully answer. Under US copyright law, the person who takes a photo is normally its legal owner, not the person in it. So how does Dua Lipa own this one?

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the so-called “rights grab.” This is when a photographer willingly signs over the copyright to the singer through a contract. It’s not uncommon for artists to commission their own concert, backstage, or promotional photography. It’s especially common with pop stars who have become a brand, like Dua Lipa has.

Either way, the copyright is registered in the singer’s name, and that’s what gives her the right to sue. It seems to me that she could easily win the “Dua Lipa TV Box Case,” but I’ll guess we’ll have to wait and see how it unfolds.

[via PetaPixel, Reuters; Image credits Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (left), court documents (right)]

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