WIPO Director General Daren Tang Celebrates New Collective Mark in Indonesia to Boost Tourism Industry and Business Growth

Director General Daren Tang met with Indonesia's Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiago Salahuddin Uno, and key governmental representatives for a seminar on innovative approaches to leveraging collective marks in the tourism and creative sectors, and to celebrate the newly registered collective mark 'UnBALIvable' in Bali.

The seminar on "Collective Marks in Tourism and Creative Economy", organized by Indonesia, took place during the 65^th WIPO Assemblies of Member States, gathering WIPO delegates, intellectual property (IP) and collective marks experts, international organizations, civil society and academia to share best practices and experiences from Indonesia and the Philippines in utilizing collective marks to encourage knowledge-sharing across multiple sectors.

Speaking at the roundtable, Mr. Tang highlighted the significance and impact of promoting IP rights within the tourism and creative industries. He stated, "The spirit of renewal in Bali is inspiring, the challenges during the pandemic affected all sectors of tourism around the world. People are re-thinking tourism and Bali is leading the way of what tourism can be. WIPO is very pleased to bring IP to support these efforts."

Mr. Tang also discussed WIPO's support for an 11-month project on IP and tourism in Bali, conducted in collaboration with the Government of Indonesia. Recently completed, this project resulted in the registration of a new collective mark — ‘UnBALIvable' — and provided opportunities to work closely with 25 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs in the local tourism sector to enhance their businesses through IP.

"One of the very unique aspects of this project is the collective mark. It's not only about individual dreams but collective aspirations and hopes. I'm very pleased that we named six entrepreneurs in Bali as trailblazers to help guide others in the local community," said Mr. Tang.

Sandiago Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, in his keynote speech expressed how this new collective mark upholds the uniqueness of the varied sectors in tourism and the creative industries. He said, "The quality visitors of Bali need to be engaged to not only spend more time in tourist destinations but also expand into the local economies by buying good quality products to enhance the creative and tourism economy."

"This newly registered collective mark is developing business potential while maintaining local wisdom, cultural heritage and the uniqueness of each area throughout Indonesia." Mr. Uno said.

First-hand accounts of the project's wide-ranging impact were showcased through multiple presentations held by focal points on the ground, including Muhammed Neil El Himam, Director General for Digital Economy and Creative Products in Indonesia; Jesus Antonio Z. Ros, Director of the Bureau of Trademarks for the IP Office in the Philippines and Yasmon Rangkayosati, Director for Cooperation and IP Education of Indonesia.

Ambassador Ferbrian Ruddyard, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, opened the seminar, underscoring the invaluable discussion and knowledge sharing that took place to enhance the tourism and creative economy sector.

The event highlighted success stories from multiple WIPO initiatives, followed by a Q&A session. It demonstrated best practices in utilizing collective marks to enhance economic, cultural and social development, further exploring the importance of intra-agency and international cooperation in promoting collective marks.