Molly Tea revamps logo following US$1.5m Louis Vuitton lawsuit

Chinese beverage chain Molly Tea has been forced to change its branding after being ordered to pay Louis Vuitton about US$1.5 million over trademark infringement.

The court found the tea chain’s floral emblem was too close to Louis Vuitton’s registered monogram, forcing the brand into a logo refresh and a sudden hunt for an IP legal specialist.

According to the South China Morning Post, the court found that the Shenzhen-based tea chain and a local franchise store violated the exclusive rights of seven registered Louis Vuitton trademarks by utilising a brand emblem that closely mirrors the luxury brand's iconic four-petal floral monogram. The final penalty consists of 10 million yuan for economic losses and 300,000 yuan to cover reasonable litigation expenses.

As part of the judicial mandate, Molly Tea must publish a corrective statement across the homepages of its six primary digital channels, including its official website, mobile mini-programme, and accounts on Weibo, WeChat, Xiaohongshu and Douyin. 

Since then, the brand has already begun distancing its imagery from the luxury house.

Last week, Molly Tea's logo was updated from its previous black-and-white design to a purple colour scheme, while the logo at the bottom of the interface was changed to gold. The new design features a more three-dimensional look, creating a sharper distinction from Louis Vuitton's four-petal floral monogram.

According to Ming Pao, the tea chain's customer service representatives attributed the changes to "operational adjustments" and made no mention of the trademark infringement dispute with Louis Vuitton.

A media inquiry revealed that Molly Tea is currently recruiting a legal manager specialising in intellectual property.

Based in Shenzhen, the role includes managing the brand's trademark system, overseeing its global IP layout and handling administrative trademark disputes.

The position offers a monthly salary ranging from 25,000 to 40,000 yuan, across a 14-month annual pay structure.

The legal enforcement stems from a civil lawsuit initially filed in May 2025. Molly Tea's long-term intellectual property portfolio faces broader headwinds, as the China National Intellectual Property Administration had already rejected the tea chain's 2024 floral trademark applications, placing them under review due to Louis Vuitton's prior registrations.

The dispute has sparked widespread public debate on Chinese social media, drawing hundreds of millions of views on Weibo. While some online commentators argued that a premium luxury fashion label and a mass-market beverage provider occupy entirely separate commercial sectors, others noted that four-petal floral motifs are traditional elements in historical Chinese design.

However, legal specialists noted that under Chinese trademark law, Louis Vuitton's early registration grants it cross-class protections. The court upheld this principle, concluding that because cross-industry brand collaborations are increasingly common, the visual similarities could lead consumers to mistakenly assume an official partnership, licensing agreement, or corporate affiliation existed between the two entities.

Founded in Shenzhen in 2021, Molly Tea has grown rapidly within the domestic beverage market and currently operates more than 2,000 stores globally.

The brand has an international presence with locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

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