Paris (France) (AFP) – A French court on Friday rejected the state’s request to suspend Shein’s site in France as “disproportionate” after the Asian e-commerce giant removed illicit products sold on its platform. The French government said it would appeal the ruling.
French authorities had requested the ultra-fast-fashion giant’s site be blocked for three months after weapons, banned medications, and childlike sex dolls were found on the platform. The authorities asked that the platform only be reopened if it applied strict new measures to prevent a repeat of the offences.
The Paris judicial court acknowledged a “serious harm to public order,” but found their sale of the items in question had been “sporadic” and noted that Shein had removed the products. The court nevertheless issued an “injunction” to Shein not to resume selling “sexual products that could constitute pornographic content, without implementing age-verification measures.” The state’s request that Shein “at a minimum” maintain the suspension of its marketplace, which hosts products sold by third-party vendors, was not granted.
“Only certain products on the marketplace were identified, in these proceedings, as manifestly illegal and harmful, while the ‘fr.Shein.com’ platform offers several hundred thousand items for sale,” said the court ruling. Despite the court’s decision, Shein’s marketplace is not expected to fully reopen right away, but gradually, its lawyers said. The company has acknowledged difficulties in implementing an effective age filter for pornographic products.
As a result, the adults-only sexual category would remain closed for the time being, as is the case worldwide since the uproar over the sale of childlike sex dolls on the platform broke out in France in November. In a statement to AFP, the French government said that it would appeal the court decision. “Convinced of the systemic risk of the model linked to Shein, and at the request of the prime minister, the government will appeal this decision in the coming days,” said the statement.
A number of other e-commerce giants have also faced pressure on the European stage in recent months. Brussels in November requested formal information from Shein, which could lead to probes and even fines. But that does not in itself suggest the law has been broken, nor is it a move towards punishment. Earlier in December, EU finance ministers agreed to impose a three-euro ($3.5) duty on low-value imports into the bloc from July 2026 to help tackle a flood of small parcels ordered via sites such as Shein. European retailers argue they face unfair competition from overseas platforms, which they claim do not always comply with the European Union’s stringent rules on products.
© 2024 AFP
