Major Chinese tea chain Molly Tea has recently been ordered to pay Rmb 10.3 million (US$1.5 million) to Louis Vuitton in damages for the unauthorised use of a logo which looks almost identical to the French luxury brand’s 4-petalled floral monogram.
The Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court in eastern Jiangsu province ruled that Shenzhen-based Molly Tea must pay the amount within 10 days. The compensation in the trademark infringement lawsuit included Rmb 10 million (US$1.48 million) for economic losses and Rmb 300,000 (US$44,300) for reasonable litigation expenses.
The court also ordered Molly Tea to post a statement on all its related web pages – its website, mini-program and on the Weibo, WeChat, RedNote and Douyin social media platforms – to eliminate the negative impact of the infringement.
Molly Tea planned to file an appeal. Meanwhile, it has updated its logo displayed on its mini-program, switching from a black-and-white version to a coloured one.
The China National Intellectual Property Administration reported that trademark applications filed by Molly Tea in 2024 were rejected and placed under review. Louis Vuitton had earlier registered its monogram pattern in China.
Established since 2021, Molly Tea now operates more than 2,000 stores around the world, with overseas outlets in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.
