What Brands Can Learn From The Dua Lipa Vs Samsung Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed in California by Dua Lipa against Samsung Electronics has opened a big conversation up, about how image rights work in advertising and entertainment.

Reuters reported that Dua Lipa wants at least $15 million in damages after Samsung allegedly used her image on television packaging without permission. The lawsuit says the image featured on cardboard boxes used for retail television sales and created the impression that she endorsed the products.

Reuters reported that the image was titled “Dua Lipa – Backstage at Austin City Limits, 2024”. The lawsuit says she owns full rights to the image. Her legal team attached social media posts to the filing, including one comment from a fan saying they would buy the television because the artist’s face is on it.

Samsung denied intentional misuse of the image. Reuters reported that the company said the material came from a third party handling content for Samsung’s free streaming service.

Samsung said, “The image was used only after receiving explicit assurance from the content partner that permission had been secured, including for the retail boxes.” The company also said, “We have actively sought and remain open to a constructive resolution with Ms. Lipa’s team.”

Reuters also reported that Dua Lipa’s lawyers said Samsung continued using the image after being asked to stop in June last year. Her legal team said the alleged unauthorised use damaged her brand and what they refer to as “commercial goodwill” because consumers could believe she approved of the televisions.

What Does The Case Reveal About Rights Management Systems?

Benjamin Woollams, founder and chief executive of TrueRights, believes the dispute exposes serious weaknesses in the way intellectual property permissions move between agencies, talent representatives and global brands.

Woollams said, “The Dua Lipa v Samsung case highlights why the industry urgently needs better infrastructure for rights management, particularly around monitoring IP usage and facilitation of licensing deals.

“According to public statements, Samsung says it relied on assurances from a third-party content partner that permission had been secured, while the lawsuit alleges that those permissions were not granted Whatever the outcome of the case,, the fact that two global brands can end up this far apart on a basic question – was this image cleared for this use? – tells you everything about the state of rights management today.”

He believes the problem begins with outdated systems built around emails, PDF files and verbal agreements moving between many businesses and contractors.

Woollams said, “This is fundamentally a chain-of-custody problem. Licensing still runs on PDFs, email assurances and verbal hand-offs between agencies, content partners, brands and talent. When something goes wrong four steps down the chain, there’s no shared audit trail to fall back on.

“That’s bad for talent, who lose control of their likeness, but it’s also bad for brands like Samsung, who can end up exposed to multi-million-dollar liability based on assurances they had no real way to verify.”

That explanation helps explain why celebrity image disputes continue appearing in courtrooms. A photograph can move between photographers, agencies, advertising departments, streaming services or packaging suppliers before actually getting to consumers. One missing licence or expired agreement can create legal trouble for every business involved.

Reuters also reported that Dua Lipa’s legal team used customer comments from social media to support their case. The filing argued that the image encouraged purchases because consumers believed she approved of the televisions.

What Kind Of Intellectual Property System Do Companies Now Need?

Woollams believes lawsuits arriving after publication cannot solve the deeper problem facing entertainment and advertising businesses.

He said, “We expect to see significantly more cases like this. Talent is increasingly aware of just how valuable – and how exposed – their name, image and likeness really is, and they’re no longer willing to absorb the cost of a system that fails them. The answer can’t just be litigation after the fact; it has to be infrastructure that works for everyone in the chain.”

He also said, “The long-term answer is infrastructure that enables traceable licensing, standardised usage terms and verifiable provenance across the entire rights chain, giving talent, agencies, content partners and brands a clearer and protected shared record of permissions and usage rights.”

That vision would involve digital systems recording every approval, every licence agreement and every authorised use of an image.

Businesses already use advanced tracking systems for financial records and manufacturing supply chains. Woollams believes image licensing now requires the same treatment.

The Samsung dispute also demonstrates how celebrity recognition influences retail marketing. Reuters reported that Dua Lipa’s lawyers used online customer comments as evidence that the image encouraged television sales.

Courts will decide the legal outcome of this dispute. Entertainment companies, advertising agencies and global brands now face growing demands for licensing systems that can prove permissions quickly and accurately whenever disputes arrive.