The Ministry of Industry continues to promote the importance of intellectual property protection in industry, including for small and medium industries (SMIs). This strategic effort aims to boost product quality and expand SMIs' market access.
Intellectual property in industry can be owned personally as copyright (art, literature, science), patents (technological inventions), trademarks (trade name symbols for goods or services), integrated circuit layout designs, industrial designs (product appearance), and trade secrets, or communally, such as geographical indications.
“Awareness of intellectual property protection is very important for industry so others at home and abroad do not misuse intellectual works. It also gives SMIs a positive image, as they have legal protection in business competition,” said the Director General of Small, Medium and Miscellaneous Industries (IKMA) at Kemenperin, Reni Yanita, in Jakarta on Monday (24/1).
Given the importance of this legal assurance, the Director General of IKMA said her directorate actively provides direct consultation on intellectual property so SMIs understand that protection exists and should be pursued. “Especially when there is innovation and uniqueness in the industrial product,” she said.
Throughout 2021, the Directorate General of IKMA's Intellectual Property (IP) Clinic provided direct IP consultations to 643 people, covering trademarks, copyright, patents, industrial designs, trade secrets and geographical indications.
“These consultations were divided into 223 people in Q1, 124 in Q2, 132 in Q3 and 164 in Q4,” Reni said. Applicants came from SMIs and SMI supervisors at central and regional levels, through online, email, and WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, in Q4/2021, the Directorate General of IKMA's IP Clinic registered 192 trademarks and five industrial designs with the Directorate General of Intellectual Property of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. “So total registrations in 2021 were 394 trademarks, six industrial designs and one geographical indication,” she added.
Reni explained that trademark registration is important for SMIs because it lets companies distinguish themselves and their products from competitors. “Trademark protection lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be extended for another 10 years,” she said.
A trademark is a sign that can be represented graphically as an image, logo, name, word, letters, numbers, color arrangement, in two and/or three dimensions, sound, hologram, or a combination of two or more of these, to distinguish goods and/or services produced by a person or legal entity in trade.
Besides services, consultation and facilitation of IP registration, the Directorate General of IKMA also promotes geographical indication protection for industrial products, especially those based on local wisdom. Reni said industries with local uniqueness and character, in raw materials or human resources, need geographical indication protection to ensure business certainty.
Since 2015, the Directorate General of IKMA has protected geographical indications for five industrial products: Bali Gringsing Weaving from Karangasem, Bali; Doyo Benuaq Tanjung Isuy Jempang Weaving from West Kutai, East Kalimantan; Yogyakarta Nitik Hand-drawn Batik from Bantul, Special Region of Yogyakarta; and Aceh Jade from Nagan Raya and Central Aceh Regencies, Aceh Province.
The IKMA IP Clinic also provides consultation for SMIs on intellectual property issues, training for IP facilitators, and institutional cooperation with the Directorate General of Intellectual Property of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Industry Offices and industry associations.
“The IKMA IP Clinic was established in 1998 so more SMIs have their businesses and products protected, raising product quality and competitiveness,” Reni said.
To apply for IP registration at the IKMA IP Clinic, applicants can attach a cover letter from their supervising agency or association, a copy of their ID and business license, fill in the registration form, and attach supporting documents on the product or item to be protected, such as the trademark logo, draft patent, drawings, design description or title, and samples of copyrighted works. Applicants can also consult via e-mail: klinik.hkiikm@gmail.com.
Reni added that legal certainty for IP rights holders is essential in business. Holding these rights, businesses including SMIs can run and grow their businesses with peace of mind, free from interference by others.
Rights holders can also take criminal and civil legal action in case of infringement or imitation. “Rights holders can also grant permission or licenses to others wishing to use their intellectual works,” she said.
Source: Press Release of the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia