HONG KONG – A court ruling ordering a local tea chain to pay French luxury giant Louis Vuitton $1.5 million in a trademark dispute has ignited a wider debate over who can claim ownership of traditional Chinese visual symbols.
Chinese state media outlets and social media users have questioned whether the four-petal flower motif featured in Louis Vuitton’s 130-year-old monogram may have roots in ancient Chinese decorative patterns. Some critics have gone further, accusing the fashion house of trying to “monopolize” designs associated with Chinese tradition.
The case centered on Molly Tea, a beverage chain known for jasmine and other floral tea drinks. A court in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou recently found that the company’s logo infringed Louis Vuitton’s trademarked monogram and ordered it to pay 10.3 million yuan, or about $1.5 million, according to local media reports that published copies or details they said came from the judgment.
Trademark and intellectual property battles involving Western and Chinese companies have long been a recurring feature of China’s business landscape. Global brands, including U.S. sneaker company New Balance, have previously sued Chinese firms in local courts and, in some cases, won favorable rulings.
The Suzhou decision has since become a trending topic across Chinese social media.
In a Tuesday post on Weibo, the state-owned Beijing Daily said the ruling highlighted what it described as a gap in the protection of ancient Chinese cultural heritage and symbolic designs.
“Why did a Chinese enterprise end up paying more than 10 million yuan in damages to a French company for using a design that resonated with the spirit of China’s centuries-old patterns?” the newspaper asked.
The Global Times, a state-owned English-language newspaper, framed the backlash in a headline that read: “Chinese netizens accuse LV of attempting to monopolize ancient motifs after lawsuit against tea brand.” The outlet said the case had triggered “widespread frustration” over the idea of a foreign brand asserting control over a pattern many view as part of China’s cultural inheritance.
A photo and caption accompanying the article showed patterns on a Tang Dynasty rosewood “pipa,” a kind of Chinese traditional lute, side-by-side with the Louis Vuitton monogram pattern.
Louis Vuitton is celebrating the 130th anniversary of its monogram designed in 1896, which it has called a “universal symbol of creativity.” The monogram was “inspired by neo-gothic ornamentation and the influence of Japonism,” its parent LVMH’s website says.
LVMH and Molly Tea did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Molly Tea, founded in 2021, was still displaying its four-petal flower logo on its official website as of Tuesday. The company told local media it was planning to appeal.
