NEW YORK—A newly unsealed court transcript from the ongoing Samsung lawsuit reveals a bizarre legal strategy in the electronics giant's defense against the pop star. Lawyers for Samsung argued that the singer's face on their television boxes carries no promotional value. The $15 million dispute hinges on whether consumers actually associate the Dua Lipa brand with the screens, or if she merely functions as a colorful cardboard filler. The following excerpt detailes the cross-examination of Samsung's lead packaging designer by the plaintiff's counsel.
Q: Mr. Vance, you put my client's face on twelve million retail boxes without her consent. Why?
A: We needed a human shape to show the TV works. We did not know she was a person. We thought she was a default rendering.
Q: You thought a multi-Grammy-winning artist was a CGI template?
A: Yes. Our design software has a button called 'Generate Festive Female.' We clicked it. Out came this face. It has very symmetrical pixels. We did not mean to imply she watches our televisions. Frankly, we assume she owns a projector.
Q: But her name is printed right next to the screen image in this Samsung lawsuit exhibit.
A: That was a typo. Our intern misspelled 'Dual Lip,' which is our patented double-speaker technology. It was a tragic vowel placement.
Q: You also used her likeness in a promotional video for your 8K resolution displays. How do you explain that?
A: Our data shows nobody looks at the person. They look at the bezel. The bezel is very thin. We could put a photo of a wet potato there. The sales numbers would remain identical.
Q: Are you testifying that celebrity endorsements do not exist in your marketing department?
A: Correct. We also have a pending issue with Warner Music Group because we used a generic guitar player on our soundbar boxes. We later learned his name is Ed Sheeran. To us, he is just 'Ginger Male Option B.' The entire consumer electronics industry operates this way. We do not see stars. We only see color accuracy.
At press time, Samsung lawyers filed a motion to replace the plaintiff with a high-resolution JPEG of a bowl of fruit.
