Samsung sues brand ambassador for $1.6 million after she is seen using an Apple iPhone X
Russian television host, journalist and politician Ksenia Sobchak was hired by Samsung to promote the company's smartphones in the country. Part of the contract she signed with the manufacturer called on Ms. Sobchak to be seen in public using Samsung branded handsets. A typical clause in such a contract would specifically state that the brand ambassador is not allowed to be seen publicly using a competitor's device.
The 36-year old Sobchak, reportedly the goddaughter of Russian president Vladimir Putin, apparently violated the aforementioned clause when she was seen using an Apple iPhone X during a televised interview. She tried to hide the device during the broadcast by covering it with a piece of paper, but that was not enough to prevent Samsung from finding out. The phone manufacturer is now suing Sobchak for 108 million rubles, equivalent to $1.6 million USD at today's exchange rates.
Besides appearing on television with an iPhone X, Ms. Sobchak has appeared at social events in Moscow clutching the iOS powered handset, obviously in violation of her contract. She ran against Putin earlier this year during the Russian presidential elections, and thanks to her reputation as a "party girl," she is known as the "Russian Paris Hilton."
You can watch Sobchak trying to hide her iPhone X during the aforementioned televised interview by clicking on the video at the top of this article. This indiscretion could cost her as much as $1.6 million.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: