Edu Asia New,UPNVJ Public Relations – The Faculty of Law at Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta (UPNVJ) organized an educational seminar on intellectual property (IP) rights for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) at the FH UPNVJ Atrium. Led by student presenters Rival Mahesa and Muhammad Afif, the event assisted Blue Board, a producer of finger board toys, in the process of registering an official trademark. The seminar, attended by 18 participants, emphasized the importance of trademark registration to prevent losses from business identity imitation, particularly amid the rise of digital marketing, which increases the risk of legal disputes.
This seminar is part of an IP education program initiated by Group 3 of FH UPNVJ students. Muhammad Afif explained that Indonesia follows a first-to-file system under Law No. 20 of 2016 on Trademarks and Geographical Indications, meaning trademark rights are only granted through official registration with the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP). “Whoever registers the trademark first is the legal owner,” Afif said, adding that failure to register a trademark can result in significant losses, such as having to rename the business or facing legal claims. Data from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights recorded 29,773 trademark registrations in the first quarter of 2025, reflecting growing MSME awareness of legal protection.
Rival Mahesa guided participants through a practical simulation of registration via the DGIP website (merek.dgip.go.id), covering steps from checking trademark availability in the Intellectual Property Database (PDKI), selecting the appropriate goods/services class, to uploading required documents such as NIB, NPWP, and MSME certificates for special rates. Participants actively asked questions regarding trademark objections and the 10-year protection period, which is renewable. A representative from Blue Board stated that this guidance helps them prepare for registration soon, reducing the risk of imitation in the digital marketplace. The activity highlighted that MSME trademark registrations have increased by an average of 18.5% annually over the past decade, according to the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.(www.upnvj.ac.id)
