WIPO Scaled-up IP Management Clinic Helping Selected SMEs in Jakarta to Steer Their Own IP Journeys

Following the notable success of the inaugural Intellectual Property Management Clinic (IPMC) program in Indonesia last year, a scaled-up IPMC was jointly convened in Jakarta by the WIPO Singapore Office (WSO) and the IP for Business Division, WIPO, with the valuable assistance from IP Australia. Among other collaborative stakeholders for this event were the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP), Ministry of Law; the Department of Industry, Trade, Cooperatives and SMEs of the Jakarta Provincial Government (Jakarta Entrepreneurs); and the Indonesian Business Women Association (IWAPI). An astounding crowd of 120 participants, including 105 SMEs (with 93 representing by women) and 15 other participants from SME development agencies in the country, filled up the workshop on November 4, 2024 which served to kick-off the IPMC to be held in the next three (3) days.

The participating companies came from a wide range of industries such as food and beverages (F&B), beauty and wellness, fashions, and crafts. With a population of over 280 million, or the fourth largest in the world, a significant expansion of the middle class, and a steady upward trend of expenditure per capita, Indonesia's F&B industry has continued to be one of the strongest business sectors in the country. In 2019, for example, the average monthly F&B expenditure per capita was IDR 572,551 (or about US$ 41.96 under the then exchange rate). Despite the adverse impact of COVID-19, that amount continued to rise through to the end of 2022, with the average of per capita expenditure standing at IDR 665,757 (source: Indonesia’s F&B sector to continue to grow in 2023, 2024  (business-indonesia.org)).

Opening remarks were delivered by Ms. Silvija Trpkovska, Counsellor, IP for Business Division (IPBD), WIPO; Ms. Thitapha Wattanapruttipaisan, Director, WSO; and Mr. Yasmon, Director of Cooperation and Education, DGIP.  It was generally stressed that the strategic use of IP as integral part of business strategy is crucial for business advantage and expansion, both at home and abroad. In addition, collaboration among key partners and stakeholders would remain an important catalyst and driver in fostering and sustaining the development of an innovative and inclusive IP ecosystem in Indonesia.

During the workshop segment of the IPMC, participants gained insights and perspectives on the strategic use of IP with a strong IP portfolio, on building strong brand identity and narratives, on revenue generation through IPR protection, and on leveraging and monetizing their respective IP and other intangible assets. Resource persons for this segment included Ms. Risti Wulansari from K&K Advocates; Ms. Juliane Sari Manurung, Managing Director of Fusion; Ms. Nuraina Bandarsyah, Senior Trademark Examiner of DGIP; Ms. Krissantyo Adinda, Senior Industrial Design Examiner of DGIPC; and Ms. Yanne Sukmadewi of PT Paragon Technology and Innovation.

In the following three days, the twelve selected enterprises embarked on one-on-one mentoring sessions with the IP experts from K&K Advocates to identify the challenges in integrating IP as part of their own companies’ business strategies.  The discussions also covered the identification of other intangible assets, the backward and forward linkages with partners, internal management of IP policies, and how to build a suitable and robust IP strategy based on their business goals and propositions in the markets. 

In the coming months, consultations with the IP expert will be continued through online advisory sessions to provide further guidance to participants in their respective IP journeys and to dive deeper into their specific business and IP needs identified during the in-person mentoring sessions.  With strong interest from the participating entrepreneurs, more activities will be implemented in supporting them in their own IP journeys from now and well into the future.