New Procedures Introduced for the Registration of Geographical Indications

The geographical indication (indikasi geografis – “IG”) is a concept that relates to intellectual property, however, it is often overshadowed by other intellectual property concepts such as the trademark, copyright and patent. This is most definitely the case in Indonesia, where only 67 IG were registered with the Directorate-General of Intellectual Property (“DGIP”) as of 2018, with six of these belonging to foreign parties.[1]

Various factors are contributing to the low number of registered IG in Indonesia, including challenging requirements and the complicated registration procedures which are set out under Regulation of the Government No. 51 of 2007 on Geographical Indications (“Regulation 51/2007”).[2] This regulation was issued based on the Law No. 15 of 2001 on Trademarks, which was revoked through the issuance of Law No. 20 of 2016 on Trademarks and Geographical Indications (“Trademark Law”).