The ruling, which comes as Shein aims for a more than $30 billion valuation in a Hong Kong initial public offering, concerns the first round of the companies’ London legal battle. Temu’s counterclaim that Shein broke competition law by tying suppliers to exclusive agreements is due to go to trial next year. Shein had accused Temu of breaching its copyright “on an industrial scale”, arguing at a trial in May that Temu – owned by PDD Holdings – used photos of Shein’s own-brand clothing to “piggy-back” on a more established competitor. Judge Kelyn Bacon rejected Shein’s arguments that Temu infringed Shein’s copyright and said that, even if it had infringed, Temu would not be liable. Shein had initially argued that Temu reproduced Shein’s photos, but did not pursue that at the trial as Temu’s servers are outside the United Kingdom and any reproduction was outside the UK, Bacon said in her ruling.