Shein vs. Temu U.K. copyright trial begins in London
Key takeaways
- 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.
- Temu s merchants, its lawyers said, had obtained the required consent to use the images.
- 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.
Shein vs. Temu U.K. copyright trial begins in London Quartz · Nur Photo / Getty Images Colleen Cabili Mon, May 11, 2026 at 8:20 PM GMT+7 2 min read 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.