Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — The Faculty of Law of Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta (UPNVJ) held an educational seminar on intellectual property rights (IPR) for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at the FH UPNVJ Concourse in Jakarta. The event aimed to enhance business owners’ understanding of the importance of trademark registration as a key element of legal protection for business identity.
The seminar was facilitated by UPNVJ Faculty of Law students Rival Mahesa and Muhammad Afif. They assisted Blue Board, an MSME producing finger board toys, in understanding the stages of official trademark registration. A total of 18 participants attended the session, which emphasized the urgency of registering trademarks to prevent losses arising from imitation, particularly amid the rapid expansion of digital marketing that increases the risk of legal disputes.
The activity formed part of an IPR education program initiated by Group 3 of FH UPNVJ students. In his presentation, Muhammad Afif explained that Indonesia adopts a first-to-file system as stipulated in Law No. 20 of 2016 on Trademarks and Geographical Indications. Under this system, trademark rights are granted only through official registration with the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP).
“Whoever registers a trademark first is the legitimate owner,” Afif said. He added that failure to register a trademark could result in significant losses, ranging from having to change a business name to the risk of legal claims. Data from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights recorded 29,773 trademark registrations in the first quarter of 2025, reflecting growing awareness among MSMEs of the importance of legal protection.
Meanwhile, Rival Mahesa guided participants through a trademark registration simulation via the official website, merek.dgip.go.id. The simulation covered checking trademark availability in the Intellectual Property Database (PDKI), selecting the appropriate goods and services class, and uploading supporting documents such as the Business Identification Number (NIB), Tax Identification Number (NPWP), and an MSME certificate to obtain a special tariff.
Participants actively raised questions, including those related to trademark opposition procedures and the 10-year protection period, which can be extended. A representative of Blue Board stated that the assistance helped them prepare for trademark registration in the near future, while also reducing the risk of imitation in the digital marketplace.
The initiative aligns with the upward trend in trademark registrations by MSMEs which, according to the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, has grown at an average rate of 18.5 percent annually over the past decade. Such educational efforts are considered essential to strengthening MSME competitiveness through legal certainty and protection. (www.upnvj.ac.id)
