Contrary to viral online claims that Louis Vuitton had suffered a courtroom defeat, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court has officially confirmed that these reports are false and that the case remains undecided.
In response to widespread speculation circulating on August 20, which alleged the court had thrown out all of Louis Vuitton's appeals in a dispute against the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), court officials have stepped forward to clarify the situation. A staff member from the Beijing Intellectual Property Court explicitly stated to reporters that the viral information is inaccurate, emphasizing that no first-instance ruling has been issued in this matter yet.
The case in question involves a trademark administrative dispute that was publicly heard by the court on July 16. The plaintiff is Louis Vuitton Malletier, the parent company of the LV brand, while the defendant is CNIPA. A garment business operator from Shantou, Guangdong Province, identified as Huang Minyao, is listed as the third party in the proceedings. The court did not deliver an immediate verdict following the hearing. Notably, this is an administrative litigation case, rather than a civil infringement lawsuit initiated by LV against a merchant.
Public records indicate that after Huang Minyao, a private individual, successfully registered a trademark, LV filed an opposition or invalidation request against it with CNIPA. However, the administrative body ruled in a manner that did not support LV's claims. Dissatisfied with this administrative decision, LV subsequently took legal action by filing a lawsuit with the Beijing Intellectual Property Court.
The court's official announcement confirms that the public hearing for this LV-related trademark administrative dispute took place at 9:30 AM on July 16. This case follows closely on the heels of another high-profile LV legal victory that captured public attention regarding the protection of traditional cultural patterns. In a separate but related matter, the Suzhou Intermediate Court had previously ruled in favor of LV in a trademark infringement lawsuit against the tea beverage chain茉莉奶白 (Molly Tea). The court determined that Shenzhen Molly Tea Catering Management Co., Ltd. had infringed upon LV's exclusive rights to seven of its quatrefoil floral graphic trademarks. The judgment mandated that the defendants immediately cease all infringing activities. Furthermore, the parent company of Molly Tea was ordered to pay LV 10 million yuan in economic damages and 300,000 yuan in reasonable legal expenses—totaling 10.3 million yuan—within 10 days of the judgment taking effect. The involved retail store was also held jointly liable for 100,000 yuan of the compensation. Additionally, Molly Tea is required to publish statements on its official website, Weibo, WeChat official account, mini-program, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin homepage to mitigate the negative impact of the infringement. The defendants were also ordered to bear the litigation costs of 293,800 yuan and a preservation fee of 5,000 yuan.
The recent ruling in the茉莉奶白 case has reignited public discourse on the legal boundaries of traditional pattern usage in commercial branding, although the current administrative case remains a distinct legal matter still under judicial review.