Popular Chinese tea chain Molly Tea has been ordered to pay 10.3 million yuan (£1.1m; $1.5m) in damages after a court ruled that its logo infringed on Louis Vuitton's trademark. According to Chinese state media, a court in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, ruled that the Shenzhen-based tea company had copied Louis Vuitton's iconic four-petal flower monogram. The court ordered Molly Tea to stop using the logo, issue a public apology, and pay damages. Reports also indicate that Molly Tea and its affiliated firms had applied for multiple trademarks that were rejected by the China National Intellectual Property Administration, with only the trademark containing the Chinese characters for "Molly Tea" being successfully registered. The decision has sparked a heated online debate in China, with a hashtag linked to the case drawing more than 400 million views and tens of thousands of comments. Many Chinese social media users have defended Molly Tea's logo design, with some arguing that many designs used in Western luxury brands have been inspired by Chinese artefacts. One commenter on Weibo wrote that he would "drink a cup of Molly Tea daily" to show support, while another on RedNote stated that "such basic geometric shapes have been used everywhere throughout history." However, some users supported the court's verdict, with one Weibo user arguing that those backing Molly Tea should "study law first" since Louis Vuitton had already registered the trademark.
Actualites avec Curation IA