According to ChinaDaily, citing the Nanfang Metropolis Daily, The Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court ruled that the logo used by Molly Tea infringes on Louis Vuitton’s rights to seven registered trademarks featuring a distinctive four-petal floral motif. The court concluded that the visual similarity of the brand’s design elements could lead consumers to associate them with the French brand.
According to the ruling handed down on June 29, the company was ordered to pay 10 million yuan in compensation and an additional 300,000 yuan in court costs. Molly Tea stated that it intends to appeal the verdict to a higher court.
Louis Vuitton filed the lawsuit in May 2025. According to the Nanfang Metropolis Daily, the Chinese company had previously submitted several trademark applications to the China National Intellectual Property Administration for floral motifs related to restaurant services and food products. Most of these were rejected, and only the word mark “Molly Tea” was successfully registered.
Founded in Shenzhen in 2021, Molly Tea has become one of China’s fastest-growing tea beverage chains in less than four years. According to local media reports, the company operates more than 2,000 locations in the country and more than 50 abroad.
The court’s decision sparked widespread discussion on Chinese social media. Some users consider the similarity between the two brands’ logos to be obvious, while others point out that the companies operate in different market segments and use a common floral motif. Some commentators also argue that the four-petal motif is an element of traditional Chinese decorative art and cannot be considered an exclusive symbol of a single brand.
Intellectual property experts note that such disputes in China are primarily adjudicated based on the principle of trademark registration priority. If the court concludes that the mark in question is likely to cause confusion with a previously registered mark, the trademark owner generally receives legal protection regardless of whether the parties operate in the same industry.
The Molly Tea case serves as yet another confirmation that Chinese courts are consistently strengthening the protection of the rights of registered trademark owners, including foreign companies. For businesses, this means they must carefully review their brand imagery and trademark registration strategy before launching products on the market.
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