Chinese fast fashion e-commerce company Shein has recently been sued again in the United States for racketeering and plagiarizing the work of three independent designers.
The plaintiffs accused Shein, a Chinese company that recently changed its headquarters’ address to Singapore, violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), as the company has engaged in “racketeering activity and for the unlawful and purpose of intentionally and criminally infringing Plaintiffs’ and others’ copyrights for massive financial gain.”
The lawsuit, filed on July 11 by designers Krista Perry, Larissa Martinez, and Jay Baron, alleges that Shein “produced” and “sold” their designs without permission.
“As shown below, these are not the familiar ‘close call’ legal claims where a corporate apparel manufacturer takes inspiration a bit too liberally. At issue here, inexplicably, are truly exact copies of copyrightable graphic design appearing on Shein products,” the complaint states….