Shein Says Selena Quintanilla Estate Can’t Sue Over Knockoff Merch on Fast Fashion Site
The e-commerce company is asking a judge to throw out the lawsuit brought earlier this year by Selena's sister, Suzette Quintanilla.
Shein's latest court filing asserts that there are significant flaws in the lawsuit brought by Selena Quintanilla's sister over unlicensed merchandise sold on their platform. In a motion obtained by Billboard, Shein's lawyers argue that a judge should dismiss the claims made by Suzette Quintanilla earlier this year. Suzette, who oversees Selena's estate through Q Productions, claims that Shein violated her sister's trademarks and likeness by selling T-shirts and other items with images of Selena and the iconic "Selena" logo in script.
However, Shein counters that these allegations are legally unfounded. They explain that they removed all the counterfeit merchandise flagged by Q Productions and even created a filter to prevent users from searching for terms like "Selena" or "Selena Quintanilla." Moreover, Shein's legal team contends that the company cannot be held accountable for products it did not manufacture.
Their attorneys emphasize that all the Selena merchandise in question originates from a second category of their platform, which consists of third-party goods from independent sellers. Shein's legal representation explains that the law protects marketplaces from liability for hosting such third-party products. Shein's motion mirrors similar arguments made by budget e-commerce platform Temu in response to infringement lawsuits brought by the musical duo Twenty One Pilots and the estate of rapper MF Doom.
While the MF Doom case was settled in June, Twenty One Pilots is still pursuing claims against Temu. The Selena estate has not yet commented on the latest developments, and attorneys for Q Productions will likely respond in writing to Shein's motion to dismiss their lawsuit, with a judicial hearing scheduled for late October. This is a busy time for the Selena estate's legal team, as they are currently facing additional lawsuits from Selena's brother, A.B. Quintanilla III, who accuses them of underpaying his share of profits from the late singer's music.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
