Kicking-off the Strategic IP Assist Program in Indonesia

A workshop was convened on June 24-25, 2024 in Jakarta, Indonesia, by the WIPO Singapore Office (WSO) and the IP for Business Division, WIPO, to launch the above program with the valuable assistance from the Japanese Patent Office (JPO). Among the collaborative stakeholders for this event were the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP), Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Indonesia; the Jakarta Entrepreneurs; and the Indonesian Business Women Association (IWAPI).

We are now moving forward and in real time into a new era and a new mindset in doing business under the challenging digital economy. It is therefore vital for all businesses, small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) especially, to understand the crucial importance of generating and protecting their Intellectual Property (IP) for commercial gains and to attract investment. Unfortunately, however, a huge number of SMEs in ASEAN are still struggling to take full advantage of IP because of inadequate awareness and understanding of this intangible asset. The Strategic IP Assist initiative provides free advisory service to ASEAN businesses and seeks to enhance their understanding, utilization and leverage of the IP systems so as to better develop and navigate their IP strategies in gainful support of their respective business visions and goals in both the home and external markets.

This first in-person advisory meeting has sparked a great interest and attracted 117 enterprises, many more than the original target. The interested participants are from a wide range of industries such as fashion, beauty, health and wellness, food and beverages, and entertainment. Indeed, it is the first time for most of those participants to hear and learn about IP and to be advised of, and assisted in, the possible ways and means in integrating IP into business strategies and for business advantage. Other participants, who were already more advanced in their IP journey, looked for guidance on the management of their IP portfolios and ways to increase their overseas brand awareness.

Opening and welcoming remarks were delivered by Ms. Sri Rastami, Director, Patents, LDIC and Trade Secrets, DGIP, Ministry of Law and Human Rights; Ms. Ety Syartika, Executive Secretary, Department of Industry, Trade, Cooperatives and SMEs of the Jakarta Provincial Government; Ms. Thitapha Wattanapruttipaisan, Director, WSO; and Ms. Sachiyo Yoshino, Director, International Cooperation Division, Japan Patent Office (JPO). They emphasized the need for businesses to explore new channels and networks to utilize and maximize the values of their IP assets. This can be facilitated and achieved by formulating strong IP management strategies – not just to identify and protect IP assets, but also to maintain and commercialize them effectively so that those assets can continue to add value to and attract investment in the businesses concerned, now and well into the future.

Throughout the orientation workshop and advisory sessions, the participating companies were supported by a pool of five local IP and business experts from K&K Advocates. WIPO, together with the experts, provided an overview of the program and the IP landscape in Indonesia. The participants were also encouraged and guided to use the WIPO IP Diagnostic Tool. This was followed by focused and interactive group sessions, where the companies received targeted advice and were also guided by the team of experts on tailored strategies and approaches, risk mitigation, and other IP-related aspects and considerations to complement their individual business goals.

In the coming months, consultations with the IP experts will be continued through online advisory sessions to further guide the participants on their respective IP journeys and to dive deeper into their specific business and IP needs identified during the workshop. With a strong interest from entrepreneurs, more activities will be implemented in supporting them in their IP journeys.