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A Paris court has rejected a request by the French government to suspend the Chinese online retail platform Shein for a three-month period.
However, the court attached a clear injunction to its decision: Shein will not be allowed to resume sales of “sexual products that could constitute pornographic content”, unless it first puts in place reliable age-verification mechanisms.
The decision came after a scandal broke out when the platform was found to be selling highly controversial items, including child-like sex dolls, weapons such as brass knuckles and machetes, and banned medications, sparking widespread concern from French authorities and consumer protection groups.
Judges ruled that the proposed measure of suspending the platform would have been “disproportionate”, particularly in light of Shein’s removal of the illegal products identified by authorities.
Despite the blow to the government, Shein’s online platform in France will not reopen immediately, a company spokesperson insisted.
An internal audit is currently underway to identify weaknesses in the platform’s marketplace operations.
In its ruling, the court acknowledged the existence of “serious harm to public order” resulting from the sale of illegal goods.
However, the court concluded that these sales were “isolated incidents” and noted that the products had since been removed.
During the hearing, Shein’s lawyers denounced a political and media “witch hunt”.
In an emailed statement to Euronews, Paris senator Marie-Claire Carrère-Gée from the conservative Les Républicains party said that “the issue with Shein or Temu goes far beyond these specific products. It is an entire business model that violates consumer rights, destroys our companies and jobs, and tramples on human rights, including environmental protection.”
Legal and political battle far from over
A criminal investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office and assigned to France’s Office for the Protection of Minors. The probe also targets other e-commerce platforms, including AliExpress, Temu, Wish and eBay.
The battle is also playing out at the European level, with France pushing for tighter rules on foreign online platforms.
In Brussels, the European Commission has already requested information from Shein but has not launched an investigation, though it has done so with AliExpress and Temu.
