The Suzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu Province ruled against Chinese beverage company Molly Tea in a trademark infringement case brought by French luxury house Louis Vuitton.
The court ordered the Shenzhen-based tea chain to pay 10.3 million yuan ($1.5 million) in damages, plus $44,291 in litigation costs.
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Molly Tea must also issue corrective public statements across its digital channels.
Logo Dispute
The court determined that Molly Tea's four-petal floral logo infringed on Louis Vuitton's registered floral monogram trademarks.
The ruling sparked severe public backlash on Chinese social media. Many online commentators argued that four-petal floral motifs have existed in traditional Chinese aesthetics for centuries.
Internet users pointed to traditional louchuang, or "leaking windows," from historical architecture as evidence of the pattern's cultural origins.
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Legal professionals noted that global intellectual property frameworks distinguish between commercial origin markers and historical cultural motifs.
Public domain elements remain freely accessible, while trademark laws strictly protect established commercial identifiers built through continuous market use.
Court records indicate Louis Vuitton has engaged in extensive intellectual property enforcement, filing nearly 60 trademark lawsuits in 2026 alone.
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Molly Tea announced its intention to appeal the court decision. Chinese intellectual property authorities continue reviewing related trademark challenges.
