The Beijing Intellectual Property Court has issued a first-instance judgment dismissing a lawsuit brought by the "Louis Vuitton" or "LV" trademark against China's National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), which had rejected LV's request to invalidate the trademark of an online merchant from Guangdong Province. The court ruled that the four-petal floral pattern LV claims rights over originated from ancient Chinese designs — such as the Baoxianghua (treasure flower) pattern and the Shidi pattern — which are shared public cultural resources that anyone may use, and over which no brand has the right to hold an exclusive monopoly.
The case arose after LV determined that a four-petal floral trademark belonging to Huang Minyao, a small business operator in Shantou, Guangdong Province, was sufficiently similar to its own trademark, and filed a request with CNIPA to have it declared invalid. However, CNIPA ruled that the two trademarks differed significantly in detail, that ordinary consumers would not be confused between them, and upheld the registration. This prompted LV to take CNIPA to court — marking the sixth time the luxury brand has filed this type of lawsuit.
The incident comes amid LV's aggressive campaign to crack down on and protect its trademarks in China, while at the same time reports indicate that LV is gradually closing branches in southwestern China. Among them, its store at Guiyang Lixing Center has announced it will cease operations on 31 August 2026 — despite having recorded first-day sales of as high as 10 million yuan (approximately 48.5 million baht) — making it the third significant branch closure in that region. As a result, the number of LV branches across five southwestern provinces has fallen by more than half, leaving only three locations remaining.
Previously, LV also sued a milk tea brand for trademark infringement. The Intermediate People's Court of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, issued a first-instance judgment on 29 June ordering the milk tea brand to pay LV 10 million yuan (approximately 48.5 million baht) in economic damages and a further 300,000 yuan (approximately 1.45 million baht) in litigation costs, for a combined total of 10.3 million yuan (approximately 50 million baht), and ordered the brand to immediately cease use of the disputed symbol. The founder of the milk tea brand confirmed they will appeal the ruling.
Data from the Qichacha application shows that there are as many as 1,691 legal risk entries related to LV as a plaintiff in trademark infringement cases. In 2026 alone there were 56 entries, in 2025 there were 170, and in 2021 there were 144. The cases span a wide range of businesses, including wine, bars, jewelry, and eyewear for export.
Source: Sina News
