Louis Vuitton trademark win in China fuels dispute over flower motifs
A Suzhou court ordered Molly Tea to pay $1.5 million, prompting Chinese state media and online debate over cultural heritage and trademarks.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
A Chinese court ruling against a tea chain has turned a trademark case into a broader argument over who can control designs that resemble traditional Chinese motifs. Local media reports said a court in Suzhou ordered Molly Tea to pay Louis Vuitton 10.3 million yuan, or about $1.5 million, after finding that the chain’s logo infringed the French luxury brand’s monogram trademark.
The dispute centers on a four-petal flower design used by Molly Tea, whose drinks include jasmine and other floral teas, according to The Associated Press. The ruling has spread widely online in China, where state media and internet users have questioned whether Louis Vuitton’s famous pattern draws from older Chinese decorative traditions.
Local media reports, citing copies or details of what they said was the court decision, said the Suzhou court sided with Louis Vuitton in its trademark claim. Molly Tea has told local media it plans to appeal, according to AP.
Beijing Daily, a state-owned newspaper, said Tuesday on Weibo that the case pointed to weak protections for ancient Chinese cultural symbols. The newspaper asked why a Chinese company had to pay more than 10 million yuan to a French company for using a design it said evoked centuries-old Chinese patterns.
The Global Times, a state-owned English-language newspaper, framed the reaction as anger over a foreign brand asserting rights to a design that some Chinese commentators view as part of China’s heritage. Its coverage included a comparison between Louis Vuitton’s monogram and patterns shown on a Tang Dynasty rosewood pipa, a traditional Chinese lute.
Louis Vuitton’s monogram dates to 1896 and is marking its 130th anniversary, according to LVMH, the brand’s parent company. LVMH’s website says the pattern was inspired by neo-Gothic decoration and Japonism, a European term for Japanese artistic influence.
Trademark battles between Chinese and Western companies have appeared repeatedly in Chinese courts, AP reported. International brands have brought intellectual property cases against Chinese companies, including New Balance, which has at times won such disputes in local courts.
AP reported that LVMH and Molly Tea did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Molly Tea, founded in 2021, was still showing its four-petal flower logo on its official website as of Tuesday, according to AP.
The case has gained attention because it ties a commercial trademark dispute to a sensitive cultural question: whether patterns associated with historical Chinese design can be protected from private ownership claims, and how courts should treat marks that global brands have used for decades.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.