Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

Intellectual Property Rights Cooperation between Denmark and Indonesia

For middle-income countries like Indonesia, a robust IP infra-structure is vital as it promotes economic development, attracts foreign investment, facilitates technology transfer, enhances access to global markets and protects the rights of local innovators. IPR can protect technologies and innovations that contribute to the green transition, such as renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies. Furthermore, IPR can provide access to finance and investment in green technologies, as investors and financial institutions often require IPR protection as a condition for investing in technologies.

In the latest report issued by the EU Intellectual Property Office, Indonesia is highlighted as a priority country when it comes to enhancing IP protection, due to restrictive patentability criteria making effective patent protection in Indonesia difficult, and enforcement, due to a continued high volume of counterfeiting and piracy in local marketplaces and in the online environment.  The DKPTO – Danish Patent and Trademark Office has cooperated with DGIP – Indonesian Directorate General of Intellectual property since 2015. The DGIP, which can be considered the sister office of the DKPTO, is under the Indonesian Ministry of Law.

In 2021, the DGIP and the DKPTO cooperated on a project funded by the DANIDA SDG grant scheme on best practices related to patent and trademark examinations. In subsequent dialogues, the DGIP has expressed an interest in extending the cooperation on patent and trademark related matters. Specifically, in exchanges of good practices related to examination of patent, trademark, and design applications and exchanges related to the enforcement of IPR.

In 2022, Indonesia expanded its IP Enforcement Task Force. Its activities have included efforts to raise awareness of IP challenges among government agencies and to increase investigation of IP cases. In Denmark, an Inter-ministerial Network against IPR Infringements has been in place since 2006, and it is foreseen that Danish best practices in this domain will be of high relevance to the Indonesian counterpart.

The cooperation developed furthermore in 2023 to 2025 with more activities between the two offices with visits, trainings and workshops to DGIP examiners and IP enforcement task forces.

IPR is mentioned as an area of cooperation in the action plan for the Indonesia – Denmark A Strategic Partnership for A Sustainable and Resilient Future (2025-2029) where it is stated that: “Promote cooperation between Indonesia and Denmark on legal matters of mutual interest, including the protection and enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and mutual assistance in legal matters”. The new MoU also has been signed in July 2025 between DGIP and DKPTO to further extend the cooperation.