Key facts
- Molly Tea has been ordered to pay 10.3m yuan ($1.5m) in damages to Louis Vuitton.
- A court ruled Molly Tea's four-petal flower logo infringed Louis Vuitton's trademark.
- Molly Tea must stop using the logo and issue a public apology.
- The ruling has led to a divided public opinion online in China.
- Molly Tea had several trademark applications rejected prior to this ruling.
A Chinese court has ordered popular tea chain Molly Tea to pay 10.3 million yuan (approximately $1.5 million) in damages to luxury brand Louis Vuitton for infringing on its trademark. The ruling, made by a court in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, also mandates that Molly Tea cease using its four-petal flower logo and issue a public apology.
The decision has sparked a significant debate across Chinese social media platforms, with a hashtag related to the case garnering over 400 million views. Public opinion appears divided, with some users defending Molly Tea's logo design and questioning the broad scope of intellectual property protection, while others support Louis Vuitton's right to defend its registered trademarks.
According to Chinese state media, Molly Tea and its affiliated companies had multiple trademark applications rejected by the China National Intellectual Property Administration. Only the trademark featuring the Chinese characters for "Molly Tea" was successfully registered.