Shein vs. Temu U.K. copyright trial begins in London

Shein accused rival Temu of copyright infringement "on an industrial scale" as a two-week trial opened Monday at London's High Court, with Temu firing back that the lawsuit was designed to stifle competition rather than protect intellectual property.

At the heart of Shein's case is the claim that Temu lifted thousands of images, shot by Shein staff, to market clothing items that were either direct copies or near-identical matches to Shein's own products. Shein's lawyer Benet Brandreth told the court the conduct amounted to an attempt to gain an unfair advantage over an established competitor. Temu denies the allegations.

Temu's lawyer Charlotte May argued the case "has nothing at all to do with the protection of any intellectual creativity in photographs, and everything to do with an attempt by the claimant to stifle legitimate competition," according to Bloomberg. Temu's merchants, its lawyers said, had obtained the required consent to use the images.

On nearly 2,300 photos, Temu has abandoned its defense entirely, Brandreth noted, drawing a parallel to a criminal defendant who holds off on entering a guilty plea only until the witnesses actually walk through the door.

After a court injunction secured by Shein required Temu to pull thousands of product listings from its platform, the PDD Holdings-owned company responded with a counter-claim for damages. A separate strand of Temu's counter-claim — that Shein illegally bound fast-fashion suppliers to exclusivity arrangements in breach of competition law — will be heard at a different trial expected next year.

Shein filed its first lawsuit in 2023, and Temu responded with a countersuit the next year, according to Bloomberg. The London trial is just one part of a larger legal battle between the two companies, who have also taken each other to court in the United States.

Both retailers became internationally known by offering very low prices on clothing, accessories, and gadgets, attracting customers far beyond China. Now, they face new challenges. Washington has closed a customs loophole that let cheap packages enter the country without duty, and Brussels plans to introduce a similar rule in July. These changes put pressure on both companies' business models.

Spokespeople for Shein and Temu did not respond to requests for comment.