Court orders transfer of Nestlé case to Intellectual Property Court, Nescafé operations continue in Thailand
Court ruling transfers Nestlé case to Intellectual Property Court, allowing Nescafé to continue operations in Thailand, including production and sales.
On June 20, the Appeal Court for Specialized Cases ruled to transfer the Nestlé case involving the Mahagitsiri family from Minburi Civil Court to the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court. This decision ensures that Nescafé products will continue to be sold in Thailand as usual.
The case began when Nestlé, owner of the Nescafé brand, requested that the President of the Appeal Court for Specialized Cases review the jurisdiction of the case between Nestlé and the Mahagitsiri family, determining whether it should remain under the jurisdiction of the Minburi Civil Court or be moved to the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court.
At 09:00 am on June 20, the Minburi Civil Court read the decision by the President of the Appeal Court for Specialized Cases. The decision confirmed that the case would be transferred to the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court, allowing Nestlé to continue its operations, including the production, import, and sale of Nescafé in Thailand.
The case, numbered Phor 517/2568, was filed by Chalermchai Mahagitsiri, Suvimol Mahagitsiri, and Prayudh Mahagitsiri, who sought a temporary injunction from Minburi Civil Court on April 3, 2025 to prevent Nestlé from producing, selling, or importing Nescafé products in Thailand. The defendants in the case included Nestlé S.A., Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Nestlé (Thai) Ltd., Ramon Mendivil Gil, Nestlé ROH (Thailand), and Nestlé Trading (Thailand) Ltd.
Originally, the Minburi Civil Court had scheduled an urgent hearing for April 11, 2025, in response to a petition by the defendant (Nestlé) requesting the court to cancel the temporary injunction. However, due to the Songkran Festival holiday, the court rescheduled the hearing for April 17, 2025.
On April 17, 2025, the Nestlé defence team submitted another request, asking the Minburi Civil Court to refer the issue of jurisdiction to the President of the Appeal Court for Specialized Cases. The defence argued that the case fell under the jurisdiction of the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court, requesting that the case be transferred.
The court's decision on Friday to transfer the case to the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court means that Nestlé can continue its business in Thailand without interruption, including production, import, and sale of Nescafé products.
Nestlé has confirmed its commitment to continue producing Nescafé in Thailand and will continue sourcing raw coffee beans from Thai farmers. Nestlé will also continue to invest in Thailand to create value for its customers, consumers, employees, farmers, and business partners.
