If you’ve been following the Louis Vuitton × Molly Tea lawsuit—where the French luxury titan recently won a 10.3 million RMB (around 1.5 million USD) first-instance judgment from the Chinese tea chain over a four-petal flower logo.
The Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court ruled that Molly Tea‘s core brand logo infringed upon LV‘s iconic Monogram floral trademarks. However, Chinese netizens were quick to point out that these patterns, which can be found adorning traditional windows in China, are far more diverse than a corporate trademark. They’re called 漏窗 (lòuchuāng), literally meaning “leaking windows,” and the “leak” is the entire point.
Centuries before glass windows existed, Chinese garden design needed walls to divide space without suffocating it. Craftsmen built intricate openings—often in floral or geometric shapes like the four-petal blossom—that let air, light, and sightlines pass straight through. Stand in front of one, and the scenery behind it becomes a living painting, a masterful technique known as 框景 (kuàngjǐng), or “framed scenery.”
While trademark law protects registered commercial logos rather than historical origins, the striking resemblance between Western luxury monograms and Tang-dynasty motifs has sparked a fascinating debate over cultural heritage.
Today, the louchuang technique lives on, serving as both an iconic feature in classical gardens like Suzhou‘s Humble Administrator’s Garden, and a profound reminder of China’s enduring design legacy.
All images via Xiaohongshu.
