Molly Tea Must Pay Louis Vuitton $1.5 Million Over a Similar Logo
The Chinese chain Molly Tea lost a lawsuit against the French fashion house Louis Vuitton over a logo that was deemed too similar to the brand's signature monogram. The company was ordered to pay approximately $1.5 million in damages, as well as to change its logo and publish an official statement regarding the court’s decision.
Molly Tea has already stated that it disagrees with the ruling and plans to file an appeal. Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton has declined to comment.
A Chinese court ruled that the Molly Tea chain infringed on Louis Vuitton’s trademark rights by using, without permission, a logo similar to the French brand’s famous four-petal floral monogram.
According to the court’s ruling, the Shenzhen-based company must pay Louis Vuitton 10.3 million yuan, which is approximately 1.5 million U.S. dollars. Of this amount, 10 million yuan is compensation for economic losses, and another 300,000 yuan covers court costs. The company has been given 10 days to comply with the ruling.
Molly Tea stated that it considers the ruling unfair. “We disagree with the court’s decision and will exercise our right to appeal,” the company said. Louis Vuitton has not publicly commented on the situation. Nevertheless, following the announcement of the ruling, Molly Tea has already changed its logo in the mini-app, replacing the black-and-white version with a color one.
In addition to paying compensation, the court ordered the company to publish an official statement on the main pages of its platforms. This includes its official website, mini-program, and pages on Weibo, WeChat, RedNote, and Douyin. In this way, the company must remedy the consequences of the trademark infringement.
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration reported that Molly Tea’s trademark registration applications, filed in 2024, were rejected. They are currently under reconsideration. At the same time, the agency emphasized that the Louis Vuitton monogram is officially registered in China and is the subject of the legal dispute.
The court’s decision is being actively discussed on Chinese social media. Some users believe that the brands operate in different sectors, so it is impossible to confuse them. Others point out that similar patterns were used as far back as ancient China. However, many commenters noted that from the very beginning, the Molly Tea logo reminded them specifically of Louis Vuitton.
The Molly Tea chain was founded in 2021. According to the company, it now has over 2,000 locations in various countries around the world, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. This was reported by the South China Morning Post.
