by SONG Jianan

Luckin Coffee has won a final trademark appeal in Thailand after the Thai Court of Appeal for Specialized Cases upheld a lower court ruling ordering a local company that registered and operated under the Luckin name to pay more than 95 million baht (US$2.8 million) in damages, in what lawyers said was the largest trademark damages award ever granted in Thailand.

According to Thai law firm Tilleke & Gibbins, the appeals court ordered the cancellation of the defendant's trademark registrations, permanently barred it from using the "LUCKIN COFFEE", "瑞幸咖啡" names and the company's deer-head logo in coffee-related businesses, and awarded more than 95 million baht in damages. The award comprises a 10 million baht lump-sum payment and more than 85 million baht in continuing damages accrued during the infringement.

The dispute began in 2021, when several Thai entities registered Luckin's English and Chinese trademarks, deer-head logo and similar corporate names before the Chinese coffee chain entered the Thai market, according to the company. The registrants later opened coffee shops using the Luckin branding.

The case drew widespread attention after Royal 50R Group Co., Ltd. sued Luckin in 2023, seeking 10 billion baht in damages. Luckin responded by filing trademark cancellation and infringement lawsuits against the registrants.

In March 2025, Thailand's Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court ruled in Luckin's favor, cancelling the disputed registrations, prohibiting further use of the branding and awarding fixed and continuing damages from March 4, 2024, when the company filed the lawsuit. The defendants appealed, but the appeals court dismissed their claims on July 8 and upheld the lower court's ruling in full.

According to Tilleke & Gibbins, the judgment reaffirmed Thailand's legal principles against bad-faith trademark registrations and the application of prior rights in cancelling maliciously registered trademarks, while resulting in what the law firm described as the country's largest trademark damages award. The court also adopted a broader approach to assessing damages by considering commercial harm beyond lost sales or profits, including damage to market access, overseas expansion, brand reputation and legal enforcement costs.

The ruling comes as the Chinese coffee chain continues expanding across Southeast Asia, one of its key overseas markets.

The company reported 2025 revenue of 49.29 billion yuan, up 43% from a year earlier, while gross merchandise value (GMV) increased 42.3% to 56.65 billion yuan. Net profit attributable to shareholders rose 21.6% to 3.6 billion yuan.

Luckin added 8,708 net new stores in 2025, bringing its global network to 31,048 locations by year-end, including 30 stores in Singapore, 70 in Malaysia and 9 in the United States.

The ruling comes as a growing number of Chinese consumer brands expand overseas, making trademark protection an increasingly important consideration in international markets.