A London courtroom has become the latest battleground in the fast-fashion wars, as a British womenswear label accuses online retail giant Shein of lifting hundreds of copyrighted images for commercial gain.
In the Shein Photo Copyright lawsuit, Sorelle UK Brand Ltd. alleges that Shein unlawfully copied more than 500 promotional photographs and reused them across digital advertisements and product listings on its retail website, according to filings in the High Court of England and Wales.
Allegations of Widespread Image Copying
Sorelle has brought claims against Shein Distribution UK Ltd. and Infinite Towers Services Ltd., the company that operates Shein’s website. The retailer contends that Shein reproduced approximately 523 publicity photographs originally created to market Sorelle’s clothing.
According to the claim, dated Nov. 19 and recently made public, the images were either produced in-house by Sorelle or supplied by social media influencers who formally assigned copyright ownership to the brand.
Sorelle said it discovered in early 2025 that the photographs were appearing without authorization in listings for products sold on Shein’s website, including listings posted by third-party sellers using the platform.
