Dua Lipa, one of the world’s most popular pop stars, has now opened a legal front against tech giant Samsung. The matter is not just about a picture, but about the alleged misuse of brand value, global image and celebrity identity worth millions of dollars. It is alleged that Samsung printed Dua Lipa’s picture on its TV boxes sold in America, due to which people felt that the singer was promoting the company’s products.
This controversy has created a stir from the entertainment industry to the corporate world. Dua Lipa’s team claims that this is not just copyright infringement, but ‘unauthorized commercial use’ of her public image and star power. Now this matter has reached the American court, where damages worth millions of dollars have been demanded.
30-year-old Dua Lipa has become the biggest global icon of pop music in the last few years. His superhit songs include tracks like ‘Ab Shubha Karo’, ‘Hawa Mein Taiarna’ and ‘Physical’. Along with music, he has also made a tremendous mark in the world of fashion and brand endorsement. Dua Lipa has worked with big international brands like Puma, Yves Saint Laurent and Versace. This is the reason why the market value of his image and publicity rights is considered very high.
According to the complaint filed in the United States District Court in California, Samsung used Dua Lipa’s image on the cardboard boxes of TV sets sold in the US. Dua Lipa says that she never gave the company permission to use her photo, name or identity for promotional purposes. Legal documents allege that the packaging could have led consumers to assume that Dua Lipa was Samsung’s official brand ambassador or that she had a commercial agreement with the company.
Dua Lipa’s legal team said in the court that this matter is not limited to just one photo, but is to the misuse of her global brand value. The filing said that ‘Ms. Lipa has brought this action against Samsung for copyright infringement, trademark infringement and violation of her rights of public identity, in order to obtain justice against the widespread, persistent and unauthorized commercial use of her image and identity on TV boxes.’ The documents also said that the rights to Dua Lipa’s name, image and identity were extremely valuable and Samsung allegedly used them without permission.
According to reports, Dua Lipa has demanded damages of at least $15 million from Samsung. His team claims that notices were sent to the company several times and it was asked to remove the picture, but reportedly no concrete action was taken. The legal complaint also said that Samsung tried to take advantage of his popularity and global stardom, which gave the company commercial benefits.
In a statement to CNN, a Samsung spokesperson said that Dua Lipa’s photo was used to display third-party content available on Samsung TV Plus. The company said in its statement that ‘This photo was used only after receiving clear assurance from our content partner that all necessary permissions have been obtained for it, including permission for use on retail boxes. Based on this assurance, we deny any allegations of deliberate misuse. Samsung also said that it respects the intellectual property of artists and is ready to resolve the matter through negotiations.
This dispute between Dua Lipa and Samsung points towards a bigger trend. In the era of digital marketing and global branding, the image, voice and identity of celebrities have now become assets worth billions of dollars. In such a situation, using any star’s picture or identity without explicit permission is becoming a big legal risk for companies. Especially in Hollywood, music and sports industries, the number of lawsuits regarding ‘image rights’ is continuously increasing.
