After Shein, it was AliExpress and Joom’s turn. “There will be lawsuits against these two platforms, from the State, because they also sell child pornography dolls”Trade Minister Serge Papin made the announcement on Wednesday morning on TF1, while Shein’s offering for sale of childish-looking sex dolls is already the subject of legal proceedings.
Technically, the State will subpoena AliExpress and Joom for civil purposes, the minister’s office said. A summons to court is an action that allows a dispute between two parties to be formally referred to a civil judge. This is more than a simple administrative formality: it makes it possible to officially notify a person or entity that legal proceedings have been initiated against them.
“This is a fight aimed at protecting consumers, which also aims to protect children and young people”explained Serge Papin. The minister had announced in mid-November that the government had taken the AliExpress and Joom platforms to court, along with eBay, Temu, Wish, for selling illegal products.
“A dose of protectionism”
AliExpress has assured that “The ad in question (based on the report) has been removed”following the opening of a legal investigation in early November. Online trading platform AliExpress is owned by Chinese tech giant Alibaba, while Joom is a Russian platform founded in 2016.
The Asian platform Shein was reported to court in November by the government. His brief hearing regarding his suspension in France will be held on Wednesday at a Paris judicial court. Serge Papin says he wants to protect “our industry” And “our trader” through this action, as well as ending “Digital Wild West”.
“This is a struggle, if I may say so, where we have to apply protectionism”he said, before adding: “We won’t be the only ones protecting ourselves a little”. Regarding Shein, the minister expressed his desire for the platform “give us proof” that what he will return to the market “respecting our consumption code”. “We also need to take this issue to the level of European law”he explained.
