Dua Lipa is taking Samsung to federal court in Los Angeles, accusing the tech giant of splashing her image across TV packaging without her say-so and demanding at least $15 million in damages. In a complaint filed Friday, the pop star says a backstage photograph from the 2024 Austin City Limits festival wound up on cardboard television boxes and other marketing materials, all without her permission. The suit claims copyright infringement, violations of California’s right of publicity law, and a false-endorsement claim under the federal Lanham Act. It was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
According to WUSA9, the complaint says Samsung used the photograph as part of a broad marketing push and brushed off Lipa’s demand that the image be taken down, in responses the lawsuit characterizes as “dismissive and callous.” The filing points to an alleged pattern of using the photo on box fronts and in-store displays beginning in 2025 and says that kind of placement made it look like Lipa had personally signed off on the product. Her lawyers say she owns the copyright to the image and that Samsung’s campaign created a misleading impression that she endorsed the televisions.
As reported by NewsBytes, the image at the center of the dispute is a backstage shot from Austin City Limits in 2024. The suit reproduces social media reactions, including one shopper who wrote, “I wasn't even planning on buying a tv but i saw the box so i decided to get it,” as supposed evidence that the packaging moved merchandise. The complaint lays out causes of action that include copyright infringement, statutory and common-law publicity claims, trademark violations and a false-endorsement count under the Lanham Act. Neither Samsung nor Samsung Electronics America had publicly commented on the filing at the time of the initial reports.
What’s Alleged In The Complaint
As detailed by NewsBytes, the lawsuit in the Central District of California stacks a series of intellectual-property and consumer-protection claims on top of each other. It alleges Samsung copied the photograph without permission, used Lipa’s likeness “on or in products, merchandise, or goods” for commercial purposes, and profited from the implied endorsement created by placing her image on the boxes. The complaint asks the court for an injunction to stop any further use of the photo and seeks at least $15 million in monetary damages.
Legal Implications
California law gives celebrities a relatively direct path to court on this kind of claim. Cal. Civ. Code § 3344 prohibits the knowing commercial use of another person’s photograph or likeness without consent and allows recovery of actual or statutory damages along with any profits linked to the unauthorized use. Per California Legislative Information, courts look at whether a use was “for purposes of advertising or selling” and whether the defendant acted knowingly.
The federal Lanham Act’s false-endorsement provision can also come into play when packaging or promotion is likely to make consumers believe a celebrity has endorsed a product. The key questions are how the public is likely to perceive the marketing and whether that perception is misleading, under 15 U.S.C. § 1125, as summarized by Cornell Law School.
Samsung’s Response And What May Happen Next
Early legal watchers say the fight will likely focus on whether Samsung’s use of the image qualifies as commercial advertising and whether the company knew it did not have a license to use the photograph, both crucial elements under California’s right of publicity law. As WUSA9 noted, Samsung had not yet filed a public response at the time the lawsuit first surfaced. The next move is expected to be a formal answer to the complaint or a motion to dismiss. If the case does not quietly settle, it will move into pretrial discovery in Los Angeles federal court.
For now, the suit sits at an early stage but neatly illustrates how celebrity branding and high-gloss tech marketing can collide in a courtroom. The docket will likely fill out in the coming weeks as more filings and official statements land.
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