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Fast fashion retailer Shein has been accused by independent designers of infringement-related racketeering activities in a new lawsuit. According to The Fashion Law, a lawsuit was filed on Tuesday (11 July) in California federal court that accused the clothing giant of using a “secretive algorithm” to identify trending art and allegedly reproducing the independent designs for its fast fashion website. The three independent artists suing Shein – Krista Perry, Larissa Martinez, and Jay Baron – claimed both Shein and its parent company, Zoetop Business Company, Ltd, engaged in “produc[ing], distribut[ing], and selling exact copies of their creative works,” which they allege is “part and parcel of Shein’s ‘design’ process and organizational DNA.” In the suit, Perry, Martinez and Baron claim Shein replicated “truly exact copies of [their] copyrightable graphic designs” such as Berry’s artwork titled “Make It Fun” and Blintz’s “Orange Daises” design. Barron’s “Trying My Best” artwork, which they claim was also copied by Shein, is not only a registered copyright but the phrase was also trademarked by Barron. As a result, the plaintiffs argue that they “have suffered and will continue to suffer substantial damage” to their businesses and “a diminishment in the value of their designs and art, their rights, and their reputations”. In the complaint, the plaintiffs allege that Shein created a “secretive algorithm” to identify growing fashion trends and “produce very small quantities of [its] item for sale” – as 100-200 units per SKU – in the case that an artist claims “the design was stolen”. “The brand has made billions by creating a secretive algorithm that astonishingly determines nascent fashion trends – and by coupling it with a corporate structure, including production and fulfillment schemes, that are perfectly executed to grease the wheels of the algorithm, including its unsavory and illegal aspects,” the artists argue in the suit. “When Shein copies a small or independent designer, the most likely outcome (without brand protection specialists and specialized software on the lookout) is that the infringement will go unnoticed,” the complaint reads. The lawsuit named Chris Xu as the maker behind the algorithm, a “mysterious tech genius” who has allegedly made Shein “the world’s top clothing company through high technology, not high design.” While Shein has faced many lawsuits in recent years, the newest complaint is notable for its Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) claim. RICO is a federal law designed to combat organized crime in the United States, and individuals or organisations can use the RICO Act to file civil claims against racketeering activities performed as an ongoing criminal enterprise. Another requirement to file a RICO claim is that the offending party is not just an individual or business but a criminal organization, as the suit claims Shein’s alleged infringement activity is “committed not by a single entity, but by a de-facto association of entities.” The plaintiffs claim that Shein’s “confusing corporate structure” allows the company to “avoid liability” in the case of intellectual property infringement, adding that the brand’s “first line of defense” when facing a copyright or trademark cease and desist is “removing the product from its sites with blaming the misconduct on another [Shein entity] actor (implying such actor is independent).” As a result, the artists have accused Shein of “multiple acts of racketeering and criminal copyright infringement” and are seeking past and future damages, as well as compensation for legal fees and injunctive relief to “prevent further racketeering activity”. This is not the first time Shein has faced accusations of infringement. In May, artist Maggie Stephenson settled with Shein for an undisclosed amount after she filed a $100 million lawsuit last year. That same month, Italian fashion designer Giuliano Calza claimed the retailer stole shoe designs from his streetwear label, GCDS. The new lawsuit comes after a Shein-sponsored influencer trip made headlines for promoting Shein’s factory in Guangzhou, China. The influencers were invited to tour Shein’s “innovation factory”, as they posted videos showing a clean, brightly lit factory with automated bots assisting in processing and packaging orders. However, the influencer trip faced backlash as many pointed out the fast fashion company’s accusations of labour abuse and its negative impact on the environment. The Independent has contacted Shein for comment. Read More Italian designer launches scathing attack on Shein over ‘stolen ideas’: ‘Maybe I am the fool’ Influencers face backlash for promoting Shein factory during PR trip in China Parent company of fast-fashion brand Shein to pay New York state $1.9m for data breach Shein accused of racketeering and copyright infringement in lawsuit Barbie premiere: All the best pink carpet looks as Margot Robbie film shows in London Why these women are – and aren’t – shaving their armpits this summer

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Bitcoin’s price has crashed dramatically, amid what seems to be a broader worry in the financial markets. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency has fallen more than 7 per cent over the last 24 hours, and almost 12 per cent in the last week. Other large digital currencies saw similar falls, though not as stark. Ethereum, the second biggest cryptocurrency by market cap, has lost around 10 per cent of its value in the last week. The troubles mean that the crypto market as a whole is down 5.7 per cent over the last 24 hours, according to tracking website Coinmarketcap. Trading volumes increased sharply, too, and were up almost 80 per cent over the last 24 hours. Thursday’s drop in the price of the cryptocurrency was the biggest one day fall since November 2022. That happened when large exchange FTX collapsed, sending shockwaves through the crypto markets and leading to widespread fears. This time around, there was no obvious connection to events in the cryptocurrency market. Instead, investors seemed concern about the economy more generally, and more traditional assets were also hit by falls in recent days. Wall Street’s main indexes fell on Friday, extending declines to the fourth session on a drag from megacap growth stocks, as evidence of a resilient U.S. economy fanned fears of interest rates staying higher for longer. The three main US stock indexes are on track for sharp weekly losses as a spate of strong economic data, including a fall in weekly jobless claims, caused investors to dial back expectations of rate cuts and drove up government bond yields. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note hit a ten-month high of 4.328 per cent in the previous session and came within a whisker of its highest level since 2007. “The drivers really have been of late the rising Treasury yields and that is signaling a more risk-off investor sentiment,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth. “Investors are looking at (better-than-expected economic data) and saying the Fed likely isn’t restrictive enough yet.” Traders see a nearly 91% chance of the Fed holding rates at current levels at its September meeting, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool. On Friday, rate-sensitive big technology and growth stocks such as Apple, Microsoft, Tesla and Nvidia slipped between 0.7% and 2.8% even as Treasury yields took a breather. The communication services and technology sectors housing major growth stocks fell 1.6% and 1.0% respectively. The tech-heavy Nasdaq hit an over two-month low and is set to post the biggest weekly declines of the three major indices, down 3 per cent so far. The CBOE volatility index hit its highest in nearly three months, reflecting rising investor anxiety. Additional reporting by Reuters Read More How bad is bitcoin for the environment really? Crypto experts discuss bitcoin price predictions What is Solana? The crypto rising 200-times faster than bitcoin Bitcoin’s price is crashing dramatically PayPal launches dollar-backed cryptocurrency World’s first ‘superfast’ battery offers 400km range from 10 mins charge