Samsung is facing a lawsuit from Dua Lipa over the alleged unauthorized use of her image, but the company says the issue stems from a third-party content partner rather than any deliberate misconduct on its own part. The dispute has drawn attention because it highlights a growing weakness in modern marketing: once a visual asset moves through multiple commercial channels, responsibility for clearing rights can become harder to pin down.
In its response, Samsung said the image was used only after it received clear confirmation from an external content provider that the licensing covered Samsung TV Plus and retail packaging. The company said its internal teams acted in good faith and relied on that contractual assurance.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Los Angeles. Dua Lipa’s legal team argues that her likeness appeared on Samsung TV retail packaging and in other promotional materials without valid permission, and that the disputed image was used across multiple products sold in the United States during 2025 and 2026.
The claim is not limited to a single packaging error. According to the filing, the image was part of a broader marketing rollout, which makes the alleged misuse more significant from both a legal and commercial standpoint.
The amount sought in damages is around $15 million. The case also cites copyright infringement, trademark misuse, and violation of California’s publicity rights as part of the legal basis for the complaint.
Dua Lipa’s lawyers further say the use continued even after a demand to stop, which they argue weakens any suggestion that the matter was a one-time administrative lapse. That position adds pressure to the question of whether the rights clearance process had truly been completed before the material was deployed.
Samsung, for its part, is pointing to the content supplier as the party responsible for confirming that the rights were fully cleared. The company said the material was handed over under the assumption that all necessary approvals had already been secured.
That division of responsibility sits at the center of the dispute. The case is no longer only about whether a celebrity image appeared on a product box, but about who must verify that the final permission is valid before the material enters a commercial campaign.
The alleged distribution scale also matters. The packaging in question may have reached millions of consumers, and that reach increases the promotional value of any celebrity likeness used on a retail product.
For Dua Lipa, the complaint is also about control over personal image, not just financial compensation. In a market where technology companies increasingly blend entertainment, content platforms, and retail presentation, licensing errors can quickly become legal flashpoints.
Samsung has said it remains open to a constructive resolution with Dua Lipa’s representatives. At the same time, the company says it respects the intellectual property rights of artists, even though no settlement has been announced.
The case is still ongoing, with both sides holding their positions. It now stands as a prominent example of how third-party content deals can raise difficult questions about clearance, liability, and the use of celebrity imagery in global marketing.