– A woman in Chiang Mai filed for the trademark “NENE ROYAL” with Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property on July 22nd, 2026, for printed T-shirts. The application remains pending.
– She has said on social media since that the filing was meant as a gift of rights to the family of Rattikarn Amloy, known as Nene Royal, the 16-year-old Phuket singer who won America’s Got Talent. She denied using it to try to profit off of Nene, who she has never met.
– Fans and observers questioned the move. Official applications for the same name by Black Lotus Global LLC, linked to Nene Royal’s official management company, were filed later in the United States and Thailand.
– Thailand’s copyright and trademark system is largely first-to-file, but an earlier application does not guarantee registration. Opposition is possible once published. No final decision has been made.
Bangkok: A trademark application for “NENE ROYAL” filed by a Chiang Mai woman for printed T-shirts has sparked online criticism, who has defended herself since and described it as a gift for the family of America’s Got Talent winner Nene Royal, denying she intended to profit off of Nene, whom she has never met.
Records checked by Thai media on the Department of Intellectual Property website show the application, number 260138519, was lodged on July 22, 2026. It covers “เสื้อยืดพิมพ์ลาย” (printed T-shirts) under the clothing class. If registered, protection would run for 10 years, to July 21st, 2036. The status is still under examination. The applicant is identified in reports as a woman from Chiang Mai who owns a well-known Thai herbal-products company there. She has posted since that the registration was intended to give the rights to the family of Rattikarn Amloy and not to profit herself or create a legal battle over the trademark in the goal of making money.
Rattikarn Amloy, 16, from Phuket, performs as Nene Royal. She became the first Thai winner of America’s Got Talent on September 24th, 2026, after a viral audition in which she sang and played guitar. Her management company, Black Lotus Global LLC, later filed applications for “NENE ROYAL” and “NENE” in the United States (starting July 29) and in Thailand (September 11). Those applications cover music, clothing, concerts, and related services and also remain pending. A separate Korean registration for similar clothing goods under the name has existed since earlier.
Thailand’s trademark system is primarily first-to-file, so an earlier application can have an advantage. Registration is not automatic. Once an application is published, third parties can oppose it, including on grounds that someone else has better rights to the mark or that the application was made in bad faith. As of mid-October, none of the Thai applications had been granted.
Nene Royal’s team has previously addressed unauthorized merchandise. In July she posted that people were selling shirts with her photo and name without permission and asked fans to buy only through her official page and website. The Chiang Mai filing is for the name itself on T-shirts, not for a specific image. Whether the applicant’s stated intent to transfer the rights will be accepted, and whether the official side will oppose the application, has not been resolved in public.