Dive Brief:
- Shein is facing a legal complaint from an individual accusing the fast fashion giant of copyright infringement, according to court documents.
- The complaint, filed on Oct. 2, states that Shein used a two-dimensional design owned by the plaintiff and made for textile printing in a “willful, intentional, and malicious” way.
- The recent complaint is the latest instance of Shein facing similar allegations such as a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, or RICO complaint, from three independent designers earlier this year.
Dive Insight:
Many of the ongoing legal complaints against Shein center on copyright infringement, according to court records. These cases are often from an individual or a small group of individuals, but Shein has also faced a similar complaint from fast fashion rival H&M in Hong Kong, and has sued another rival Temu over allegedly infringing on its trademarks and copyrights.
In July, the designers which sued Shein in the RICO complaint stated that Shein’s “intellectual property theft and blame avoidance is facilitated by its byzantine shell game of a corporate structure.”
Luke Kim, the plaintiff in this latest case, received the copyright for the design from artist Hae Jee, who designed the work in 2018. Later, Kim applied for and received a United States Copyright Registration for the design. Kim sampled and sold fabric with the design to “numerous parties in the fashion and apparel industries.”
The complaint, filed in the United States Central District of California, alleges that Kim’s design was used on 28 SKUs including tops, bottoms, dresses and more.
The scope of the complaint extends beyond Shein and also lists between one and 10 “Doe,” defendants, meaning unidentified people or companies.
A spokesperson for Shein declined to comment on the complaint.
