Swedish fashion brand Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) has filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong against fast fashion retailer Shein over alleged copyright infringement. H&M has accused Shein of copying the design of its products. According to H&M’s spokesperson statement reported by several outlets, the company has said that Shein engaged in unauthorised reproduction of copyright works.
For the unversed, Shein was among the Chinese apps which were banned by the Indian government in June 2020 following clashes with Chinese army at the border. However, as per recent reports, the brand is set to re-enter the country through a collaboration with Reliance Retail.
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Bloomberg said in its report that the Swedish brand has attached several photos of its products in the lawsuit, which include swimwear and sweaters, to argue that the brand has copied the design of its products. The case was filed back in 2021, the outlet said. The hearings in the case are progressing in Hong Kong high court, with the next date on July 31.
While H&M has officially confirmed its lawsuit, it did not provide any further detail about the case. Shein has not officially commented on the matter so far.
Shein was in news recently for another lawsuit filed by several artists in California on July 11. According to the details of the case, the artists allege that the brand has been using a secretive algorithm to identify trending fashion created by other artists and reproduce them for its own website. They have alleged the Chinese brand of racketeering and copyright infringement.