Luxury Showdown! Louis Vuitton Wins £1.1M in Tea Chain Logo Dispute ⚖️
Luxury Showdown! Louis Vuitton Wins £1.1M in Tea Chain Logo Dispute ⚖️
Chinese tea giant Molly Tea hit with a £1.1 million fine after court rules its floral logo infringes Louis Vuitton's trademark. Molly Tea plans to appeal this massive luxury brand victory!
A Chinese court has ruled in favor of luxury giant Louis Vuitton, ordering the rapidly expanding tea chain Molly Tea to pay a hefty £1.13 million (approximately $1.5 million USD) for trademark infringement. The decision, handed down by the Suzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu province, found that Molly Tea's distinctive four-petal floral logo illegally copied seven of Louis Vuitton's well-known registered trademarks.
The ruling details that Molly Tea's parent company must pay 10 million yuan (£1.1 million) in damages and an additional 300,000 yuan (£33,121) for legal costs. Furthermore, a Molly Tea franchise store in Suzhou's Wuzhong Economic Development Zone was held jointly liable for up to 100,000 yuan (£11,040). While the judgment was delivered on June 29, it became public on July 2. Both parties have a 30-day window to appeal the decision before it becomes effective.
Molly Tea, which has grown to become one of China's fastest-growing premium tea chains, specializing in jasmine-infused drinks and floral milk teas, has stated its intention to challenge the court's decision. Founder Zhang Bocheng confirmed their plan to appeal in a telephone interview. The company boasts an impressive network of nearly 2,400 stores across 274 cities in 29 provinces within China, along with international outlets in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore.
The heart of the dispute lies in a logo redesign undertaken by Molly Tea less than two years ago. When the company launched in Shenzhen in 2021, its branding featured Chinese characters alongside a jasmine flower bud, reflecting a distinct Chinese visual identity. However, in 2024, Molly Tea replaced this original design with a black geometric four-petal flower, which was subsequently rolled out across all its stores, takeaway cups, packaging, and promotional materials. It was this specific redesign that prompted Louis Vuitton to file a lawsuit in May 2025. The Chinese court underscored that Louis Vuitton's seven floral trademarks have been in use for many years on products like handbags, thus acquiring a high degree of recognition worldwide.
