Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

A Chinese court has ordered the tea beverage company Molly Tea to pay Louis Vuitton Malletier approximately 10.3 million yuan ($1.5 million) for trademark infringement involving the unauthorized use of design elements closely resembling the luxury brand’s iconic symbols, AzerNEWS reports.

The company has confirmed that it plans to appeal the ruling.

The Intermediate People’s Court of Suzhou found that a Shenzhen-based milk tea business and its store in the Wuzhong Economic Development Zone infringed on the exclusive rights of seven registered trademarks owned by Louis Vuitton Malletier. The court concluded that the visual identity used by the defendant created a likelihood of confusion among consumers, particularly due to similarities in branding elements.

According to the ruling, the defendants must pay 10 million yuan in compensation for economic losses, along with an additional 300,000 yuan ($44,200) to cover legal and enforcement costs. The individual store involved in the case was also ordered to pay up to 100,000 yuan ($14,700) in damages.

In addition, Molly Tea has been required to publish a public statement clarifying the trademark dispute and acknowledging the court’s decision.

The lawsuit was originally filed by Louis Vuitton Malletier in May 2025, after concerns were raised about the resemblance between Molly Tea’s four-petaled flower logo and Louis Vuitton’s famous monogram motif.

The case highlights China’s increasingly strict approach toward intellectual property enforcement, especially as global luxury brands intensify efforts to protect their designs in the fast-growing Asian consumer market.