A debate over ownership of traditional Chinese symbols has cropped up after a court ordered a local tea chain to pay French luxury brand Louis Vuitton $1.5 million over trademark infringement claims. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
A court in the eastern city of Suzhou recently ruled that the logo of Molly Tea, whose signature drinks are based on jasmine and other floral-based teas, infringed on Louis Vuitton's trademark monogram. It ordered the tea company to pay 10.3 million yuan ($1.5 million) to the French company, according to local media reports that carried copies or details of what they said was the ruling.
Chinese state-media and online commentators are questioning if the four-petal flower design in the fashion house's 130-year-old signature monogram is derived from patterns dating back to ancient China. Some are accusing the company of "monopolizing" traditional Chinese patterns.
The state owned newspaper Beijing Daily said Tuesday in a post on the popular online platform Weibo that the ruling exposed a gap in protections of ancient Chinese heritage and symbols. "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?" it said.
"Chinese netizens accuse LV of attempting to monopolize ancient motifs after lawsuit against tea brand," said a headline in the Global Times, a state-owned English language newspaper. It asserted there was "widespread frustration" over a foreign brand controlling a design believed to be part of China's cultural heritage. 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 2023.