Samsung addressed the $15 million complaint in response to DMN’s comment request; we previously broke down the straightforward suit in detail. But to recap, the South Korean conglomerate is accused of featuring a copyrighted Dua Lipa photograph on its television boxes “without authority or license.”

And besides allegedly constituting copyright and trademark infringement, the evidently unauthorized move was allegedly “designed to improperly capitalize on Ms. Lipa’s hard-earned success to promote and sell Samsung’s products,” according to the action.

(A longtime Dua Lipa photographer is said to have captured the image backstage at Austin City Limits 2024; more on this important fact in a moment.)

“Ms. Lipa’s image was used in 2025 to reflect the content of our third-party partners that is available on Samsung TVs and was originally provided by a content partner for our free streaming service Samsung TV Plus,” Samsung said to DMN.

“The image was used only after receiving explicit assurance from the content partner that permission had been secured, including for the retail boxes. Given this assurance, we deny any allegations of intentional misuse.

“Samsung has great respect for Ms. Lipa and the intellectual property of all artists. We have actively sought and remain open to a constructive resolution with Ms. Lipa’s team,” the company concluded.

Based in Amsterdam and New York, XITE bills itself as the “ultimate music video experience on TV,” is said to reach “well over 100 million households across multiple territories,” and didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

But to state the obvious, that the photo looks to have been captured at a music festival raises questions about its alleged use to promote a music video app (and Samsung televisions).

And in the bigger picture, beyond the copyright dispute, XITE’s prominent television-box positioning is noteworthy. Elsewhere in the music video space, broadcast TV giant Sinclair last year brought interactive music channel ROXi to a number of U.S. markets.