🐯虎嗅•Freshcollected in 62m
LV wins trademark lawsuit against Jasmine Milk Tea
💡A cautionary tale on trademark law and cultural symbols that every brand builder needs to understand.
⚡ 30-Second TL;DR
What Changed
LV won a 10.3 million RMB judgment against Jasmine Milk Tea for using a similar floral logo.
Why It Matters
This case serves as a warning for brands to avoid using visually similar patterns to established luxury trademarks, even if they claim cultural inspiration.
What To Do Next
When designing brand assets, conduct a thorough trademark search to ensure your visual identity does not overlap with established global luxury marks.
Who should care:Founders & Product Leaders
🧠 Deep Insight
AI-generated analysis for this event.
🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways
- •The lawsuit specifically targeted the 'Jasmine Milk Tea' brand's use of a four-petaled flower motif, which Louis Vuitton argued was a direct infringement of its iconic Monogram flower trademark registered globally.
- •Legal proceedings revealed that the defendant had expanded its franchise network to over 200 locations across China, which significantly increased the calculated damages due to the scale of unauthorized commercial use.
- •The court's ruling emphasized that while traditional patterns are public domain, the specific stylized execution and combination of the floral elements in the defendant's branding created a 'likelihood of confusion' among consumers.
- •Louis Vuitton has been aggressively pursuing intellectual property protection in the Chinese market, filing over 50 similar trademark infringement lawsuits against various domestic retail and food & beverage brands since 2023.
- •The 10.3 million RMB penalty is one of the highest trademark infringement awards in the Chinese food and beverage sector, signaling a shift toward stricter enforcement of international luxury brand rights in China.
🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources
Increased trademark litigation for Chinese F&B startups.
The high-profile nature of this judgment will likely encourage luxury conglomerates to audit and litigate against domestic brands using similar aesthetic motifs.
Shift in branding strategies for domestic Chinese tea chains.
To avoid costly litigation, emerging tea brands will likely pivot toward more distinct, culturally specific, or abstract logo designs that avoid resemblance to established international luxury trademarks.
⏳ Timeline
2023-05
Louis Vuitton initiates trademark monitoring program targeting Chinese F&B sector.
2024-02
Formal complaint filed against Jasmine Milk Tea for logo infringement.
2025-11
Initial court hearing held in Shanghai Intellectual Property Court.
2026-06
Final judgment issued ordering 10.3 million RMB in damages.
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Original source: 虎嗅 ↗