IDfiling code

Indonesia

DJKI · Directorate General of Intellectual Property

A large first-to-file market with a well-documented squatting problem. Almost every dispute we see here traces back to filing after market entry instead of before it.

Trademarks
System
First to file
Madrid Protocol
Member
To registration
~12–24 months
Term
10 years, renewable
Patents & designs
PCT
Member
Utility model
Simple patent
Hague (designs)
Not available
Design term
10 years

Simple patents cover one claim and register faster than a full patent. Indonesia requires local working or a recorded reason for not working — a step foreign owners routinely miss.

What to watch in Indonesia

Four things that decide whether the filing holds

  • File before you enter, not after

    Strict first-to-file plus active squatting means a late filing can cost you the name in your own market.

  • Publication and opposition come early

    The register is worth watching so a lookalike can be opposed rather than litigated.

  • Three years of non-use is a cancellation risk

    Keep local sales records from launch.

  • Local-language and script variants

    Consider how the brand will be written and spoken locally before settling the filing list.

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