Chinese drinks chain Molly Tea has been instructed to pay US$1.5 million to iconic fashion brand Louis Vuitton due to a recent logo dispute. The luxury fashion house claimed that its opponent had copied the iconic four-petal monogram, resulting in a major settlement to correct the alleged infringement.
Despite Louis Vuitton being one of the most recognisable fashion logos in the industry, many came to the defence of Molly Tea, claiming Louis Vuitton's iconic monogram has origins beyond its brand conception. With the recent court decision dividing the internet, it's clear the tension is much more than a minor design scuffle.
Chinese media reported that the eastern Jiangsu province ruled that Molly Tea had violated the rights of seven registered Louis Vuitton trademarks. While the Shenzhen-based tea brand had applied for trademarks, each was rejected, with only the Chinese characters for "Molly Tea" being approved for trademark protection.
The final decision ruled that the drinks brand must pay a total of 10.3m yuan in damages alongside issuing a corrective statement across social media. Despite the court's decision in favour of the luxury fashion brand, many across social media began to point the finger at Louis Vuitton.
Woke up this morning to see Louis Vuitton just won a trademark case in China against a local buble tea chain, about $1.5 million, over a four petal flower that looked too much like the monogram.The Chinese internet was not on Louis Vuitton's side. The pattern turns up in Tang… pic.twitter.com/cwTeW2VgDaJuly 3, 2026
"LV greed knew no bound," one disgruntled X user wrote, while another added, "Different areas, different logos, it's a bit of a stretch." Others were far more scathing, claiming that the LV monogram resembled patterns from historic Chinese artefacts. "The pattern turns up in Tang dynasty textiles, people pointed out, centuries before there was a house called Vuitton to register anything with," one user explained, while another alleged, "China's ancient traditional patterns are stolen, registered as trademarks after being turned into luxury goods, and then used to file lawsuits in return."
It's not the first time we've seen Louis Vuitton go after a rival brand to protect its monogram – the luxury fashion brand recently took on a casino in a high-stakes logo dispute. For more creative insight, take a look at what designers can learn from 130 years of the Louis Vuitton logo.
