Tiffany vs. Alffany: The Unlikely Trademark Clash in China

The dispute between Tiffany & Co. and Chinese brand Alffany has landed in the Beijing High People's Court, marking the latest intellectual property case involving an LVMH maison in China. The case, heard on July 9, is an administrative challenge over a trademark registration decision.

The battle dates back to 2016, when Tiffany challenged an "ALFFANY" mark filed for stationery and related items. Chinese authorities eventually invalidated the registration, ruling that the English mark was visually similar to "TIFFANY" and "TIFFANY & CO." and that the goods overlapped in consumer base and sales channels.

Tiffany has not won every round. A separate ALFFANY trademark filed in 2023, covering products including sleep masks, was allowed to proceed. Authorities found those goods sufficiently distinct from Tiffany's existing marks.

The latest case is different from Louis Vuitton's civil infringement suit against Molly Tea, which resulted in a RMB 10.3 million award. This is an administrative dispute over whether an earlier decision should stand.

The two cases do not necessarily indicate an LVMH-wide legal strategy, but they highlight the increasingly visible boundaries of what luxury brands can claim as uniquely theirs in China.