Samsung has responded to the lawsuit filed by Dua Lipa, asking the court to dismiss the case for which the Albanian singer is seeking at least $15 million in damages.
Dua Lipa sued the tech company in May, claiming that a photo of her was used without authorization on the packaging of Samsung televisions sold in the United States.
In recent court documents, Samsung's lawyers argue that the use of the photo did not create the impression that Dua Lipa was endorsing, advertising or promoting the company's products. According to them, the image was part of the content offered through the "Samsung TV Plus" service and was placed on the packaging only to illustrate the materials that users could see on the TV screen.
"The photos simply represent the TV interface and illustrate the apps and an example of the content available," the company's lawyers argued.
At the center of the dispute is a photo of Dua Lipa, taken backstage during the Austin City Limits festival in 2024. According to the singer's lawsuit, she owns the rights to the photo and had not given permission for the image to be used for promotional purposes for Samsung products.
Dua Lipa's legal team claims that placing the photo on the outside of the TV boxes could create the impression that the singer had a commercial agreement with Samsung. For this reason, she is seeking at least $15 million in damages, raising claims of copyright, trademark and image rights infringement.
Samsung, on the other hand, says the photo was provided by an external content partner, who had guaranteed the company that it possessed all necessary permissions for its use, including its appearance on product packaging.
The company has denied any intention to illegally use the singer's image and stressed that it respects the intellectual property rights of artists. Samsung also stated that it remains open to a possible resolution of the dispute with Dua Lipa's team.
Samsung's request to dismiss the lawsuit does not mean the case is over. The decision now lies with the court, which must determine whether Dua Lipa's claims have sufficient legal basis to proceed.
The clash between the Albanian singer and the tech giant could become an important case about how images of famous people are used in marketing, as well as about the responsibility of companies when materials used in their campaigns or packaging are provided through third parties.
