{"id":203510,"date":"2026-07-06T02:42:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T02:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/07\/06\/backlash-after-china-bubble-tea-firm-ordered-to-pay-louis-vuitton-1-5m\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T02:42:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T02:42:51","slug":"backlash-after-china-bubble-tea-firm-ordered-to-pay-louis-vuitton-1-5m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/07\/06\/backlash-after-china-bubble-tea-firm-ordered-to-pay-louis-vuitton-1-5m\/","title":{"rendered":"Backlash after China bubble tea firm ordered to pay Louis Vuitton $1.5m"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Popular Chinese tea chain Molly Tea has been ordered to pay 10.3m yuan (\u00a31.1m; $1.5m) in damages after a court ruled that its logo infringed a Louis Vuitton trademark, fuelling an online debate over copyright protection.<\/b><\/p>\n

Chinese media reported last week that a court in the eastern Jiangsu province ruled that the Shenzhen-based tea company had copied Louis Vuitton’s iconic four-petal flower monogram trademark.<\/p>\n

The decision has divided the public online in China, with a hashtag linked to the case drawing more than 400 million views and tens of thousands of comments.<\/p>\n

The BBC has contacted Molly Tea and Louis Vuitton for comment.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, a court in Suzhou, just east of Shanghai, ordered Molly Tea to stop using of the logo, issue a public apology and to pay damages to Louis Vuitton, according to Chinese state media China Daily.<\/p>\n

The outlet also said that Molly Tea and its affiliated firms had applied for multiple trademarks that were rejected by the China National Intellectual Property Administration.<\/p>\n

Only the trademark containing the Chinese characters for “Molly Tea” was successfully registered, China Daily reported.<\/p>\n

Many Chinese social media users have defended the design of Molly Tea’s logo, noting how many designs used in Western luxury brands have been inspired by Chinese artefacts.<\/p>\n

One commenter on the Weibo platform wrote in Mandarin that he will “drink a cup of Molly Tea daily” to show his support for the company.<\/p>\n

“Give me a break. They’re just taking advantage of the fact that our ancestors didn’t file for patents,” the commenter wrote.<\/p>\n

One user on RedNote, another Chinese social media platform, said: “Such basic geometric shapes have been used everywhere throughout history, not just China.”<\/p>\n

But some online supported the court’s verdict.<\/p>\n

A Weibo user said that those who back Molly Tea’s design should “study law first”, arguing that there is no dispute as Louis Vuitton had already registered the trademark.<\/p>\n

Another said Louis Vuitton is justified in defending its intellectual property and that other brands do not have the right to imitate it, regardless of their industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Additional reporting by Koh Ewe<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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