Selena Quintanilla’s Sister Sues Shein Over Knockoff Merch Bearing Late Singer’s Likeness

Selena Quintanilla ‘s sister, Suzette Quintanilla, is suing Chinese e-commerce company Shein over unlicensed merchandise bearing Selena’s name and likeness. In the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday (March 11) in U.S. District Court in California, Quintanilla accuses Shein — a Nanjing, China-based global e-commerce giant known for selling low-cost clothing and accessories — of manufacturing and selling “countless t-shirts and other merchandise” with Selena’s name, likeness and identity without permission or compensation.

According to the lawsuit, Quintanilla’s company, Q Productions, sent Shein a cease and desist in August, outlining its rights as the owner of the Selena trademarks. Despite that, Quintanilla alleges the company did not halt the sale of the Selena merchandise. “To date, Defendants continue to willfully and unlawfully exploit Plaintiffs’ Selena Marks and rights of publicity in commerce against the express demands by Plaintiffs to cease and desist such use,” wrote Quintanilla’s attorneys, Thomas K.

Richards and Justin R. Trauben , in the suit. Quintanilla is suing Shein on multiple counts, including trademark infringement, unfair competition and publicity rights violations. She’s seeking damages and a court injunction that...