A court in eastern China has ruled in favor of Louis Vuitton in a trademark infringement lawsuit against Molly Tea over the latter’s use of a logo resembling the French luxury house’s 130-year-old quatrefoil motif.
In a June 29 ruling, the Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangsu province said Molly Tea and one of its franchise stores had violated seven of Louis Vuitton’s registered floral trademarks, the state-owned China Daily reported.
As a result, the Chinese tea chain must pay the plaintiff CNY10.3 million ($1.5 million) in damages, change its logo, and issue a public apology on its website and social media platforms, such as Weibo and WeChat.
Once the ruling takes effect after 30 days, Molly Tea will only have 10 days to settle the damages, which include CNY10 million ($1.4 million) in economic losses and CNY300,000 ($44,123) in additional legal expenses.
The logo in question, introduced as part of a rebrand in early 2024, features a black-and-white, four-petal flower design.
According to Molly Tea, it is inspired by the oriental jasmine flower.
It was registered for trademark in China the same year, but was rejected by the China National Intellectual Property Administration.
Louis Vuitton filed the lawsuit against Molly Tea in May 2025, saying it had already registered the four-petal flower design in China.
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Appeal brewing
After the first-instance ruling was made public on July 2, Molly Tea, known for its floral-infused teas, has since discreetly changed its black-and-white logo on its mini-program to a three-dimensional, colored one.
Its customer service team said the move was a result of “operational adjustments”, without mentioning the lawsuit, according to local newspaper Ming Pao.
Chinese media reported that Molly Tea founder Zhang Bocheng also announced plans for an appeal at a higher court, but failed to elaborate further.
Ruling triggers social media divide
Social media users rallied behind Molly Tea, arguing that Louis Vuitton cannot claim exclusive commercial rights over a four-petal flower found in traditional Chinese patterns.
One user wrote on RedNote, that Louis Vuitton’s iconic quatrefoil motif is similar to the Tang Dynasty’s baoxiang floral patterns.
“In essence, LV registered an element from the public domain as a trademark and is now using it to restrict Chinese brands from using similar patterns — that’s commercial monopolization of a cultural element,” said the user in a post cited by the Global Times.
On Instagram, which remains banned in China, a user wrote it was “disappointing to see Chinese people challenged for using elements of their own traditional cultural heritage”.
Others, meanwhile, expressed support for Louis Vuitton, saying it was just protecting its intellectual property and already has a registered trademark in China.
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James Mario Ajero 
Wendellyn Mateo