{"id":636461,"date":"2026-10-20T16:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T16:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/636461\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T16:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T16:40:10","slug":"dua-lipa-fights-samsungs-bid-to-dismiss-15-million-lawsuit-over-alleged-unauthorised-use-of-her-photo-on-tv-boxes-claiming-the-packaging-falsely-suggested-she-endorsed-its-products-englis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/636461\/","title":{"rendered":"Dua Lipa fights Samsung\u2019s bid to dismiss $15 million lawsuit over alleged unauthorised use of her photo on TV boxes, claiming the packaging falsely suggested she endorsed its products | English Movie News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DuaDua Lipa takes on Samsung in a $15 million image rights lawsuit. (Photo: Instagram) Pop superstar Dua Lipa<\/a> is pushing back against Samsung\u2019s attempt to throw out her $15 million lawsuit over the alleged unauthorised use of her photograph on television packaging. The singer\u2019s legal team argues that displaying her image on the company\u2019s TV boxes could have led consumers to believe she had endorsed its products, turning what Samsung describes as a showcase of entertainment content into a dispute over celebrity image rights.According to Law Commentary, Lipa\u2019s attorneys filed their response to Samsung\u2019s motion to dismiss on October 16, 2026, in the US District Court for the Central District of California. The filing challenges the company\u2019s arguments on false endorsement and publicity rights, while maintaining that the alleged use of her likeness requires legal scrutiny.The court has not yet ruled on Samsung\u2019s request, and the allegations remain disputed.<\/p>\n

How Dua Lipa\u2019s photograph landed on Samsung TV packaging<\/p>\n

At the centre of the legal battle is a photograph of Lipa taken backstage at the 2024 Austin City Limits music festival. According to her lawsuit, the image appeared inside a simulated television screen printed on Samsung\u2019s retail boxes, alongside content available through its Samsung TV Plus streaming service.Lipa filed the lawsuit on May 8, 2026, alleging copyright infringement, trademark infringement, false endorsement and violations of her right of publicity. She claims Samsung used the photograph on television packaging for products sold in the United States during 2025 and 2026 without her permission, despite repeated demands to stop.The singer is seeking at least $15 million in damages, along with additional compensation tied to profits she alleges the company made from the unauthorised use of her image.For Lipa, the dispute goes beyond her photograph appearing on a television box. Her lawyers argue that featuring a well-known celebrity on a consumer product can suggest an endorsement or commercial partnership, especially when the star is known for being selective about the brands she associates with.<\/p>\n

Samsung denies implying that Dua Lipa endorsed its products<\/p>\n

Samsung has challenged the singer\u2019s interpretation of the packaging. The company maintains that the photograph was used to illustrate entertainment content available through its televisions and was not intended to suggest that Lipa personally endorsed its products.Samsung has also said a third-party content provider assured it that the necessary permissions had been obtained, including permission for use on retail packaging. The company denies intentionally misusing the singer\u2019s likeness.In its September 10 motion to dismiss, Samsung argued that a celebrity\u2019s face does not automatically qualify as a trademark. It also maintained that consumers would understand the photograph as an illustration of content available on a television, rather than evidence of an endorsement.Lipa\u2019s legal team has rejected that reasoning. According to the October 16 filing, the singer selectively licenses her name and likeness through commercial partnerships, including deals with major luxury brands. Her attorneys argue that consumers familiar with those arrangements could reasonably interpret her appearance on Samsung\u2019s packaging as another authorised brand association.The disagreement places the question of consumer perception at the centre of the false endorsement claim: whether the packaging was merely showcasing entertainment content or could have conveyed the impression that Lipa had approved or sponsored Samsung\u2019s products.<\/p>\n

Why English law is another flashpoint in the lawsuit<\/p>\n

Samsung is also disputing the legal grounds of Lipa\u2019s publicity-right claims, arguing that English law, rather than California\u2019s laws governing the commercial use of a person\u2019s identity, should apply because the singer is domiciled in England. The company maintains that English law does not recognise a comparable standalone right of publicity of the kind Lipa is seeking to enforce.Her lawyers have disputed both the choice of law and Samsung\u2019s interpretation of the protections available under English law. They argue that California law should govern the alleged commercial exploitation of her image on products marketed and sold in the state.According to Law Commentary, Lipa\u2019s attorneys have also warned that Samsung\u2019s interpretation could leave English celebrities with fewer avenues to challenge the unauthorised commercial use of their identities in California.The issue could prove significant in determining which of the singer\u2019s claims can proceed. However, it is separate from the court\u2019s assessment of her copyright, trademark and false endorsement allegations.US District Judge Christina A. Snyder has not ruled on Samsung\u2019s motion to dismiss. The company is scheduled to submit its reply on November 13, 2026, and a hearing is set for December 14, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dua Lipa takes on Samsung in a $15 million image rights lawsuit. (Photo: Instagram) Pop superstar Dua Lipa…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636462,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[430,312002,5940,11638,311999,216035,311998,156,312001,111,139,69,311997,312000,216036],"class_list":["post-636461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrity-publicity-rights","tag-copyright-infringement","tag-dua-lipa","tag-dua-lipa-image-rights","tag-dua-lipa-lawsuit","tag-dua-lipa-samsung-lawsuit","tag-entertainment","tag-false-endorsement","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-samsung-lawsuit","tag-samsung-tv-packaging","tag-unauthorized-use-of-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}