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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.
A court in the eastern city of Suzhou recently ruled that the
logo of the 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.
Intellectual property fights between Western and Chinese brands
are not uncommon. International brands like American sneaker
maker New Balance have taken Chinese firms to local courts and
sometimes prevailed in intellectual property and trademark
cases.
The judgement has been trending online in China.
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 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.
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