Chinese Bubble Tea Chain Ordered to Pay Louis Vuitton $1.5 Million in Trademark Case

A Chinese court has ordered popular tea chain Molly Tea to pay 10.3 million yuan (about US$1.5 million) in damages after ruling that its logo infringed a trademark owned by Louis Vuitton, Osmond Chia reported for BBC News.

A Chinese court ruled that Molly Tea's logo infringed Louis Vuitton's trademark rights. (Photo: Molly Tea)

According to Chinese media, a court in Jiangsu Province found that the Shenzhen-based company had copied Louis Vuitton's iconic four-petal flower design.

The court in Suzhou ordered Molly Tea to stop using the logo, issue a public apology and pay damages.

State-run China Daily also reported that Molly Tea and affiliated companies had filed multiple trademark applications that were rejected by the China National Intellectual Property Administration, with only the trademark containing the Chinese characters for "Molly Tea" ultimately approved.

The ruling sparked widespread debate on Chinese social media, where many users argued that numerous Western luxury designs have themselves drawn inspiration from traditional Chinese art and cultural motifs.