The Republic of Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 16th largest worldwide. It is also the most populous country in the region with an estimated total population of over 255 million representing a huge market opportunity for European trade.
Despite its size and status as an ASEAN economic heavyweight, Indonesia is currently only the EU’s fifth largest trading partner in the region. That said, growth in trade between Indonesia and the EU is steady, with EU imports to Indonesia rising 5.2% and Indonesian exports to Europe hitting 6.4% between 2014 and 2015[1], with total trade in 2015 reaching EUR 25.3 billion. Indonesia represents a fertile market for EU products and services, with rapid economic development, advances in technological capabilities and increasing disposable incomes leading to increased demand for quality machinery and products.
Whilst manufacturing represents a declining share of the economy in most developed countries, in Indonesia, manufacturing is one of the fastest growing industries. For example, private consumption and investment in the manufacturing sector have gone up by 10.5% in Indonesia, compared to 2015[2], prompting the industry to grow at a significant rate. Continue reading “IP Protection Strategies for the Manufacturing Industry in Indonesia” »
Trade fairs in South-East Asia provide European SMEs with the opportunity to present their innovations and ideas to potential business partners and customers whilst also allowing them to learn from and collaborate with other innovators. There is, however, a risk in that disclosing their innovations to the public may leave them exposed to third parties copying and infringing their IP. Infringement of innovations may not necessarily be straightforward ‘counterfeiting’ – i.e. exact product, packaging and brand imitation. It is more likely that competitors could be using, intentionally or otherwise, a certain part of a European SME’s product or innovation. It is therefore advisable to be as diligent as possible and to get to know your competitors’ products.
Malaysia is a South-East Asian nation consisting of sections on the Malay Peninsula and on the island of Borneo, with the South China Sea lying between them. Malaysia’s population of over 30 million works in the world’s 20
In Malaysia, no pure information can be considered property. However, as a party to TRIPS and other agreements, Malaysia does have laws which prevent the unauthorised disclosure of information. This information is commonly referred to as “trade secrets,” although it is called “confidential information” in Malaysian law. This definition means that trade secrets cannot be proactively registered, but can form the basis of action taken against others. Confidential information in Malaysia can also take the form of virtually any other confidential information which was secret and protected by contractual agreements.
An industrial design is the ornamental or aesthetic aspect of a product and is handled by the Industrial Designs Registry at the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia.