🔥 Trending Molly Tea Ordered to Pay Louis Vuitton $2 Million for Trademark Infringement

The Molly Tea trademark infringement case refers to a recent legal battle where the French luxury giant Louis Vuitton Malletier (LV) sued the Chinese fresh milk tea brand Molly Tea (also known as Molly Naibai) for trademark infringement ¹²⁷.

Case Summary and Ruling

On July 2, 2026, the Suzhou Intermediate People's Court issued a first-instance judgment in favor of Louis Vuitton ⁶. The court ruled that Molly Tea had infringed upon Louis Vuitton's registered four-petal flower trademarks ¹. As a result, Molly Tea was ordered to pay a significant sum in damages and issue a public apology ¹.

Financial Implications

The court ordered Molly Tea to pay 10.3 million yuan (approximately $1.5 million USD) to Louis Vuitton for trademark infringement ¹³⁸. This amount includes 10 million yuan in damages and 300,000 yuan ($44,200 USD) for reasonable legal costs ⁸. Some sources reported the compensation as $2 million ¹ or $1.5 million ²³, while others cited $1.4 million ⁷. The 10.3 million yuan figure appears consistently across multiple reports ¹³⁵.

Core of the Infringement

The infringement primarily revolved around Molly Tea's use of a logo that was deemed to be confusingly similar to Louis Vuitton's iconic four-petal flower monogram pattern ¹⁷. This pattern is a distinctive element of LV's brand identity.

Public Reaction and Significance

The case has garnered significant attention in China, sparking widespread discussions nationwide concerning intellectual property (IP) rights protection in the country's consumer market ²³⁵. Hashtags related to the case, such as "Louis Vuitton sues Molly Tea for 10.3 million yuan in damages," have received hundreds of millions of views on social media platforms ⁵. The ruling is seen as a major victory for Louis Vuitton in its ongoing efforts to protect its iconic patterns and trademarks globally ⁴⁷. It also highlights China's increasing commitment to enforcing IP laws, especially in cases involving foreign luxury brands and local companies ²³.