PARIS (dpa-AFX) - A court in Paris has denied the French government's request to temporarily shut down Shein's website after allegations surfaced that the fast-fashion retailer sold childlike sex dolls.
The court decided that a three-month suspension would be too much, but it did mandate that Shein put age verification measures in place for adult products.
This legal action was prompted by France's consumer watchdog, which reported Shein for selling 'sex dolls with a childlike appearance' and other concerning items last month.
While the court recognized the seriousness of the allegations, it emphasized that these instances were rare and affected only a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of products on Shein's site.
The judges also pointed out that Shein took down the problematic listings as soon as they were flagged. In light of the uproar, the retailer, which was founded in China, declared it would stop selling all sex dolls globally.
The court also turned down a government request to suspend third-party sales on Shein's platform, where the disputed products were found.
Nonetheless, Shein is now required to implement age checks for adult items, facing fines of up to 10,000 euros for any violations.
This ruling came just as Shein launched its first physical store in Paris, which attracted both shoppers and some protesters.
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