Nestlé Wins Legal Battle Over Nescafé Rights in Thailand

[Georgealbert]

 

File picture for reference only.

 

Nestlé has regained the exclusive right to distribute Nescafé in Thailand following a high-profile legal dispute that has gripped the country’s business community.

 

The Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court has ruled in favour of the global food and beverage giant, declaring Nestlé the sole rightful owner of the “Nescafé” trademark in Thailand. The decision clears the way for Nestlé to resume production, importation, and sales of its popular instant coffee brand across the country.

 

The ruling follows a long-standing dispute between Nestlé and the Mahagitsiri family, who co-founded Quality Coffee Products Co., Ltd. (QCP) in 1990. Under a longstanding agreement, QCP had been granted the rights to manufacture Nescafé in Thailand.

 

However, Nestlé announced the termination of its agreement with QCP in 2021, which took full effect on 31 December 2024. After the contract ended, disagreements emerged between shareholders over QCP’s future operations. 

This led to Mr Chalermchai Mahagitsiri, a shareholder in QCP, filing a civil lawsuit at Min Buri Civil Court, seeking an injunction to temporarily bar Nestlé from producing, outsourcing, selling, or importing instant coffee under the Nescafé brand in Thailand.

 

On 3 April 2025, the court granted the injunction, prompting Nestlé to swiftly file a petition for an emergency hearing to have the order overturned. Nestlé argued that the injunction was causing widespread disruption to supply chains, including coffee farmers, packaging suppliers, and associated manufacturers.

 

The emergency hearing was scheduled for 17 April 2025. However, ahead of the court date, Nestlé issued a statement on 12 April, signed by Ms Khrewan Warunpaijit, Executive Director of Nestlé Professional Thailand, informing trade partners that the Central Intellectual Property Court had already issued a decisive ruling.

 

According to the statement, the court confirmed that Nestlé is the exclusive trademark owner of both the English “Nescafé” and Thai “เนสกาแฟ” marks, allowing the company to fully resume business operations in Thailand.

 

The verdict marks a significant turning point for Nestlé in Thailand and paves the way for the company to stabilise its coffee business after months of uncertainty. It is also seen as a landmark decision in the country’s intellectual property and corporate law landscape.

 

-- 2025-04-14

 

 

 

[KireB]

My daily caffiene fix, disgusting but needed.

[KhunLA]

That stuff is vile.  Switch to Moccona, Birdy, Super ... anything but that.  Prefer their Hazelnut flavored when making a pitstop at 7-11 when O&A ... tasty stuff

 

[rabas]

 

What Thailand is now selling in Nescafe boxes, at higher prices, isn't real Nescafe. It's powdery like old time instant coffee.  

 

So will they lower the price if real Nescafe comes back?

 

Real Nescafe:

[blaze master]

I'm a coffee virgin.

[ChipButty]

Only Decaf for me these days, I go out to Starbucks 3 times a week that is about the best so far, Amazon dont do Decaf or 7/11, I would have thought the amount of coffee they sell daily they would have Decaf, maybe it's to expensive for them to buy, not many people want it, 

[rabas]

1 hour ago, blaze master said:

I'm a coffee virgin.

 

That's good because my girlfriend's name is coffee. 

 

[impulse]

I'm still betting Nestle takes it in the shorts eventually.

 

[Felt 35]

Great then I still can get my imported Nescafe Gold and Nescafe Gold Decaf. The rest of the made-up copies here taste👎

Felt

[Chris Daley]

Red and Green.  Both the same identical taste.  Imagine their tiny minds if they discovered hazelnut, caramel and vanilla.  Spiced pumpkin and Chai Masala?  Forget it.

[Purdey]

4 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Only Decaf for me these days, I go out to Starbucks 3 times a week that is about the best so far, Amazon dont do Decaf or 7/11, I would have thought the amount of coffee they sell daily they would have Decaf, maybe it's to expensive for them to buy, not many people want it, 

Decaf is like whisky without the alcohol. 

[MartinBangkok]

Decaf is like a girl with a pretty face, but with no body and a mouth that cannot open

[impulse]

3 hours ago, Purdey said:

Decaf is like whisky without the alcohol. 

 

It's more like light beer.  I love a cuppa, but I can only drink one a day.  Decaf still gives me the jolt, but I get to drink several before the nerves protrude from my fingertips.

 

[BKKBike09]

12 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The ruling follows a long-standing dispute between Nestlé and the Mahagitsiri family, who co-founded Quality Coffee Products Co., Ltd. (QCP) in 1990.

 

That is one family you do not want to be fighting with in Thailand.

[impulse]

9 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

That is one family you do not want to be fighting with in Thailand.

 

I've got this vision of Nestle winning the battle and losing the war.  Like, for example, if they get rights to the Nescafe brand, but no Thai outlets will stock it on their shelves.  Because they don't want to mess with the family.

 

We'll see...

 

[blaze master]

7 hours ago, rabas said:

 

That's good because my girlfriend's name is coffee. 

 

 

Does she like cream in her coffee ? 😅

[Mr Meeseeks]

Similar things have happened to many Western brands, Pepsi, Carlsberg etc.

 

It's as if Thais believe they have the right to steal other people's hard work, brands, and products.

[ukrules]

57 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Similar things have happened to many Western brands, Pepsi, Carlsberg etc.

 

It's as if Thais believe they have the right to steal other people's hard work, brands, and products.

 

Yes, they attempted to claim ownership of a global brand simply because they had an old expired business deal.

 

A great example of what Thai business partners have in mind when they begin 'cooperation'.

What were they thinking? Did they actually think they could get away with stealing the name of one of the largest brands on earth?

You couldn't make this kind of stuff up if you tried.

[JAG]

39 minutes ago, ukrules said:

What were they thinking? Did they actually think they could get away with stealing the name of one of the largest brands on earth?

Well they got away with it with Carlsberg...

[ukrules]

1 hour ago, JAG said:

Well they got away with it with Carlsberg...

 

Nah they didn't, it's still called Chang

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, JAG said:

Well they got away with it with Carlsberg...

No they didn't.

And Pepsi is still here as well as Est cola. 

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

 

That is one family you do not want to be fighting with in Thailand.

Why?

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I've got this vision of Nestle winning the battle and losing the war.  Like, for example, if they get rights to the Nescafe brand, but no Thai outlets will stock it on their shelves.  Because they don't want to mess with the family.

 

We'll see...

 

"No Thai outlets"?  All outlets in Thailand are Thai.

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Similar things have happened to many Western brands, Pepsi, Carlsberg etc

Many similar things?  Etc.?  Huh?  You mean one western brand.  Nescafe won.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, JAG said:

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

What were they thinking? Did they actually think they could get away with stealing the name of one of the largest brands on earth?

Well they got away with it with Carlsberg...

Who got away with what?  Entirely different circumstances...Carlsberg was not stolen by a Thai company.

[impulse]

10 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"No Thai outlets"?  All outlets in Thailand are Thai.

 

True.  And I believe that a powerful family could get 7/11, Lotus, Tops and all the other "Thai outlets" to give Nescafe zero shelf space if they want to carry the rest of that powerful family's products.  So Nestle would have the rights to the name, but zero chance of selling any in LOS.

 

Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen.  I don't claim to know what it will look like, but I'm predicting Nestle will take it in the shorts in Thailand.  Winning the battle and losing the war.  Like Pepsico did.

 

 

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

36 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

No they didn't.

And Pepsi is still here as well as Est cola. 

 

They did get away with it to an extent as they took Carslberg out of the game and got rid of their brand altogether in favour of their own while taking over the entire Thai operation. That operation, and Chang beer itself being a Carslberg creation in the first place. I believe it was initially called Carlsberg Elephant Beer. Carlsberg made a brief, half-hearted re-appearance as an imported beer in the early 2010's but couldn't secure a market share.

 

With Pepsi they stopped bottling the stuff at the bottling plants, breaking their agreement with their local distributors, thus stopping the supply.

They then used the bottling plants and distribution network to try to push their own cheap cola EST, which by no coincidence has the same colour logos as Pepsi. I believe that they gently 'encouraged' retailers not to stock Pepsi but stock their cheap cola alternative instead.

[Liverpool Lou]

10 minutes ago, impulse said:

Nestle will take it in the shorts in Thailand.  Winning the battle and losing the war.  Like Pepsico did.

What, along the same lines as Nestle debacle, are you claiming happened to Pepsico?

[impulse]

2 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

What, along the same lines as Nestle debacle, are you claiming happened to Pepsico?

 EST.

 

[Liverpool Lou]

14 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

With Pepsi they stopped bottling the stuff at the bottling plants, breaking their agreement with their local distributors, thus stopping the supply.

They then used the bottling plants and distribution network to try to push their own cheap cola EST, which by no coincidence has the same colour logos as Pepsi. I believe that they gently 'encouraged' retailers not to stock Pepsi but stock their cheap cola alternative instead.

You really think that Pepsi is not widely available in Thailand?