Shein, the online fast fashion giant, has filed a new lawsuit against its competitor, Temu, accusing it of stealing its designs, copying its product images and committing other types of fraud.
The lawsuit, filed this week in federal court in Washington, alleges that Temu, a brand of fast fashion whose popularity has grown in the US, has lowered its prices, encouraging sellers to offer Counterfeit items, stolen designs and poor quality products.
The accusations occur when the Shein is the subject of lawsuits on the part of brands and designerswho accuse the Chinese giant of stealing their designs and selling imitation items on its website.
Asked to comment on the news, a spokesperson for Temu said that the “Shein’s audacity is incredible“And he added that “Shein, buried under its own mountain of intellectual property complaints, has the gall to fabricate accusations against others for the same misconduct for which it is repeatedly sued.”
This action represents an escalation of the dispute between both companieswho have already sued each other before US courts. Temu, a platform owned by Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, alleged in previous cases that Shein forced users clothing manufacturers to submit to unfair supply chain agreements to prevent them from working with Temu.
Shein, which was founded in China but is now based in Singapore, accused Temu in court of engaging in deceptive business practices, and misleading consumers through creation of fake accounts on social networks. These used the Shein name, but directed users to the Temu platform.
The companies They withdrew the complaints in October. Temu sued Shein again in December, accusing his rival of employing a “mafia style of intimidation” against suppliers to hinder his growth in the US.
Shein’s lawyers have noted in the latest complaint that at least one Temu employee stole “valuable trade secrets” from Shein. Among them, internal information on prices and best-selling products.
The lawyers also stated again that Temu He presented himself as Shein through fake accounts on X and redirected customers to the Temu page. Additionally, they alleged that Temu had engaged in similar practices through sponsored Google ads.
