controversy news and archive

Alpha Modus sues H&M for patent infringement

US company Alpha Modus, specialising in the development of technologies for the retail industry, continues its fierce battle for the protection of its industrial and intellectual property. On this occasion, it has filed a lawsuit against Swedish fashion multinational H&M Group. It comes to light following the lawsuit filed against Spanish...

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Inditex clothing reappears in Russia: permissiveness, stock mismanagement or smuggling?

Madrid – The Spanish fashion multinational is set to present the results for the third quarter of its current 2025 fiscal year this Wednesday, December 3. However, a negative news story regarding both image and operational implications has taken centre stage. This concerns the sale of garments from its Zara, Oysho, Pull&Bear, Bershka,...

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US company Alpha Modus sues Inditex for patent infringement

Madrid – US-based Alpha Modus, a company specialising in the development of technological solutions for retail, has filed a lawsuit against Spanish fashion multinational Inditex for patent infringement. Alpha Modus argues that the owner of chains such as Zara, Massimo Dutti and Bershka has violated its intellectual and industrial property. This...

Retail

French retail sector unites against Shein

Major French trade federations representing sectors from mass market retail to clothing and toys are suing Shein for “unfair competition”. The Asian e-commerce giant, already under government scrutiny, described the move as a “boycott attempt”. Several sector organisations stated in a press release that Shein’s model “relies on non-compliance...

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Alibaba denies report accusing it of supporting Chinese army against US

Beijing - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba on Saturday denied to AFP an article in the Financial Times (FT) that accused it of assisting in Beijing's military operations against the US. Alibaba “provides technical support for the ‘operations’ of the Chinese army against US targets,” stated the report from the British newspaper published on...

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Retail

Shein opens first physical store in Paris, drawing bargain hunters to BHV

Paris - Out of “curiosity” or because “it’s cheaper”, customers began to gather outside the department store on Wednesday. They were waiting for the opening of the Shein store at BHV in Paris at 1pm, despite the controversies surrounding the Asian giant's practices. UPDATE France suspends operations of online platform Shein “My husband doesn’t...

People

Mango founder's death: Son Jonathan Andic named suspect in homicide case

Madrid – A major twist has emerged in the investigation into the death of Isak Andic, founder of the Spanish fashion giant Mango. The Court of Instruction No. 5 in Martorell has formally charged Jonathan Andic, his son and the company’s current vice president, as a suspect in the case. The fatal incident occurred on December 14, 2024, when...

Fashion

US bans Iranian officials from luxury shopping in New York

Washington, September 24, 2025 (AFP) – Iranian officials attending the UN summit this week will be unable to go shopping in New York under a US government order restricting the purchase of a range of products, from wholesale cosmetics to luxury watches. These restrictions were included by the State Department spokesperson in the “maximum...

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Accused murderer ends up as a Shein model: a reminder of the risks of AI

The image of Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering the chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare, began circulating online a few months ago. He became a strange and unexpected idol, with women queuing at the courthouse door. His definitive leap to virality came when his image was projected in a Boston nightclub. This occurred during a...

Fashion

Swatch ad sparks controversy over racist depiction

Swiss watchmaker Swatch issued an apology this weekend regarding the racist nature of its recent advertisements. The images showed an Asian model pulling the corners of their eyes upwards and backwards. The images were for the Swatch Essentials collection and were met with a wave of indignant comments on social media. According to Reuters, some...

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Palestinian BDS National Committee calls for boycott of Zara and Inditex

The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) has launched an international call to boycott Zara and Inditex for their alleged complicity with the Israeli regime. According to the statement, this campaign seeks to mobilise consumers, workers, artists and human rights defenders to pressure Inditex to withdraw its operations from Israel. The BNC...

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Business|ANALYSIS

Digital art also has legal limits: Mango condemned for rights infringement in NFTs

The Provincial Court of Barcelona issued an unprecedented ruling in the Spanish legal landscape, condemning the fashion group Mango (Punto Fa, S.L.) for the unauthorised exploitation of works of art in digital format. The ruling, issued by Section 15, specialising in commercial matters, established for the first time in Spain the infringement of...