Global Chinese tea chain, Molly Tea, has been sued by the French luxury goods house, Louis Vuitton (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), for design infringement.
Who Is Molly Tea?
Founded in 2021 in Shenzhen, China, Molly Tea is a tea drink brand focused on floral scents. As of November 2025, Molly Tea has over 2,000 stores worldwide, including two in the UK (London and Birmingham).
The Proceedings
Louis Vuitton brought legal proceedings in May 2025 against the popular tea chain’s four-petal floral logo, arguing that it had copied its recognisable monogram motif.
Molly Tea argued that its logo represented a jasmine flower, a motif found in nature, and that a tea company and a luxury fashion house operated in different industries, meaning consumers wouldn’t confuse the brands. They also suggested their logo was merely decorative.
In July this year, the Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court rejected these arguments and ruled that Molly Tea’s logo had infringed seven of Louis Vuitton’s registered trade marks in China. The Court cited Molly Tea’s logo as being highly similar in its design, arrangement and linework, according to The Independent.
As a result, Molly Tea was ordered to stop using its logo, pay 10.3 million yuan (£1.1m) in damages, and 300,000 yuan (£33,121) in legal costs, and to issue a public apology to Louis Vuitton.
The Effect on Public Support in China
The ruling drew more than 400 million views on Weibo (a Chinese social media site), with many users showing patriotic support for Molly Tea. The hashtag “Molly Tea lost the lawsuit but won the public’s heart” attracted more than 30 million views on Weibo.
Individuals online have argued that Louis Vuitton’s monogram pattern is similar to a flower design commonly found on windows and musical instruments in ancient China. The pattern, known as bao xiang hua, is a traditional Chinese auspicious symbol originating from Buddhist culture.
Although Louis Vuitton won the case, its China sales fell approximately 30% in July and 20–25% in August amidst the backlash, according to estimates from JL Warren Capital.
Molly Tea has announced plans to appeal the decision, meaning the judgment is not yet effective.
Trademark Thursday Takeaway
On paper, this is a straightforward trade mark win for Louis Vuitton, seven registered marks, a clear finding of infringement, and a sizeable damages award. But the fallout tells a different story. A near-30% dip in Chinese sales suggests that winning a case and winning the argument in the court of public opinion are two very different things, especially when the accusation of copying a smaller brand’s design collides with a live debate about whether the original motif itself was borrowed from traditional Chinese art. For any brand relying on litigation to protect its identity, this case is a reminder that enforcement doesn’t happen in a vacuum: how a legal win lands with the public can matter just as much as the judgment itself.
Written by Phoebe De Oliveira Simões and Katie Wu
17 September 2026