Recently, many artists in the field of music and art have demanded government action in order to prevent their voices, faces and artworks being used in AI generative platforms. Dua Lipa, the British pop singer, has taken this back to a more analogue age and is seeking damages against Samsung for use of her image without permission.

The case relates to Samsung television models sold in the United States, which the artist alleges used a photograph of her face on packaging without consent in order to sell the TVs within. The filed lawsuit states that the packaging was, in Miss Lipa’s mind, “designed to improperly capitalize on Ms. Lipa's hard-earned success to promote and sell Samsung's products.” As such, a lawsuit in US district court for the central district of California has been filed, stating copyright infringement, trademark infringement and misappropriation of Lipa's likeness and image. The image in question was taken during an appearance at a 2024 performance in Texas and that Miss Lipa therefore owns the copyright to the photograph.

According to representatives for the singer, Samsung ignored repeated demands to cease and desist from infringing on her rights and as such are now being sued to the value of 15 million dollars (approx. 13 million euros) plus a permanent injunction as well as damages and legal costs. For Samsung, they have denied the allegations and are expected to argue that the image was provided by a third party and used only upon assurance that permission had been obtained. This is another example of how important it is for all artists, regardless of size, to maintain an interest in protecting their intellectual property, especially when brand deals and endorsements are threatened.