Swedish Court Rules Shein Infringed Rival Nelly’s Copyright

A Swedish court ruled on Friday that online fast-fashion giant Shein violated the copyright of its smaller rival Nelly (NELLY.ST) by using the Swedish company’s photos without permission.

The Patent and Market Court found that Shein’s Ireland-based subsidiary, Infinite Styles Ecommerce, had copied images owned by Nelly and made them publicly available on Shein’s Swedish website.

“In doing so, Infinite Styles Ecommerce infringed upon Nelly’s exclusive rights to its photographs,” the court said in its ruling.

Nelly, which operates the e-commerce platform Nelly.com and also sells its own clothing line, filed the copyright infringement lawsuit in September 2024. The company alleged that Shein, founded in China and now headquartered in Singapore, used its photos for marketing purposes without authorization.