Molly Tea Hit With 10.3M Yuan LV Judgment — Store Orders Double, Brand Rushes to Hire IP Counsel
TL;DR
Suzhou court orders Molly Tea to pay Louis Vuitton 10.3M yuan for trademark infringement; store orders double, brand hires IP counsel.
The Suzhou Intermediate People's Court ruled on July 2, 2026 that Chinese tea chain Molly Tea infringed on seven of Louis Vuitton's four-petal floral trademarks, ordering 10.3 million yuan (about US$1.5 million) in damages payable within ten days. The court also ordered Molly Tea to post statements on the homepages of its official website, Weibo, WeChat, WeChat mini-program, RedNote and Douyin accounts to eliminate the negative impact.
The award breaks down into 10 million yuan in economic losses and 300,000 yuan in reasonable litigation expenses. Corporate records service Tianyancha shows that Shenzhen Molly Tea Catering Management Co. had previously filed several trademarks resembling LV's four-petal flower — all under the advertising and sales class — and all were rejected by the China National Intellectual Property Administration and are now invalid. The infringing mark, four tea leaves around a central diamond, was drawn in 2023 by Shenzhen studio Tenkiiiii Design as part of Molly Tea's packaging.
The verdict did not sink the defendant — public sentiment pushed it up the trending list instead. Store staff told reporters "today's orders are double a normal day," with queues forming at multiple locations. Molly Tea's official Douyin account gained more than 100,000 followers in two days, with comments running heavily along the lines of "buying one today to show support" and "LV looks petty." Founder Zhang Bocheng said publicly the company will appeal. The company simultaneously posted a job listing for an IP counsel manager, monthly salary 25,000–40,000 yuan, explicitly covering trademark litigation and enforcement. The mini-program logo has already been swapped from black-and-white to color; the website is unchanged.
Louis Vuitton's counsel Zhou Zhaocheng told reporters that even across industries where consumer confusion is not automatic, "deliberate imitation still draws enhanced damages."
Bet won: a 22-yuan cup of milk tea buys nationwide brand recognition for 10.3M yuan. Bet lost: 10.3M yuan is free advertising for LV.
via The Paper / Huxiu / SCMP / WWD
The award breaks down into 10 million yuan in economic losses and 300,000 yuan in reasonable litigation expenses. Corporate records service Tianyancha shows that Shenzhen Molly Tea Catering Management Co. had previously filed several trademarks resembling LV's four-petal flower — all under the advertising and sales class — and all were rejected by the China National Intellectual Property Administration and are now invalid. The infringing mark, four tea leaves around a central diamond, was drawn in 2023 by Shenzhen studio Tenkiiiii Design as part of Molly Tea's packaging.
The verdict did not sink the defendant — public sentiment pushed it up the trending list instead. Store staff told reporters "today's orders are double a normal day," with queues forming at multiple locations. Molly Tea's official Douyin account gained more than 100,000 followers in two days, with comments running heavily along the lines of "buying one today to show support" and "LV looks petty." Founder Zhang Bocheng said publicly the company will appeal. The company simultaneously posted a job listing for an IP counsel manager, monthly salary 25,000–40,000 yuan, explicitly covering trademark litigation and enforcement. The mini-program logo has already been swapped from black-and-white to color; the website is unchanged.
Louis Vuitton's counsel Zhou Zhaocheng told reporters that even across industries where consumer confusion is not automatic, "deliberate imitation still draws enhanced damages."
Bet won: a 22-yuan cup of milk tea buys nationwide brand recognition for 10.3M yuan. Bet lost: 10.3M yuan is free advertising for LV.
via The Paper / Huxiu / SCMP / WWD
