First-to-File: Why Your Bali Brand Needs a Trademark Before It's Famous
Indonesia registers a trademark to whoever files first, not whoever used it first. Registration typically takes around four months. Government fees are charged per class: Rp2.8 million for standard applicants since 1 August 2026 under PP 30/2026 (Rp500,000 for micro and small businesses), plus professional fees.
What to send us if this affects you ↓The rule that surprises everyone
Indonesia is a first-to-file country: with narrow exceptions, the trademark belongs to whoever registers it first, not whoever built the brand. For Bali's restaurant, wellness and fashion scene — where brands get visible fast — the corollary is brutal: the moment your name is worth copying, someone can file it before you do. Getting it back afterwards is possible in some cases, but it is litigation, not paperwork.
The 2026 practicalities
- Examination now runs materially faster than the old multi-year waits — substantive examination is capped at 30 days (90 if opposed) under the current regulation (Permenkum 5/2026), with registration typically completing in roughly four months.
- Official fees are set per class — Rp2.8 million per class for standard applicants since 1 August 2026 under PP 30/2026 (Rp500,000 per class for micro and small businesses) — for most single-class marks, small money against what the name is worth.
- File in the right classes: a restaurant that also sells packaged products or merchandise usually needs more than one.
- Search before you file — a knock-out search against existing marks avoids paying to be refused.
The bottom line
If you operate under a name you'd be upset to lose, the question isn't whether to register — it's why it isn't filed yet. Fixed fee; we handle search, filing and follow-through.
Frequently asked questions
How long does trademark registration take in Indonesia?
Materially faster than it used to be — substantive examination is capped at 30 days (90 if opposed) under the current 2026 regulation, and the whole process typically runs around four months. Confirm the current timeline before filing; it has changed recently.
How much does it cost to register a trademark in Indonesia?
Government fees are charged per class — Rp2.8 million for standard applicants since 1 August 2026 under PP 30/2026 (previously Rp1.8 million), and Rp500,000 for micro and small businesses — plus professional fees. We quote fixed.
Someone already registered my brand name in Indonesia — what can I do?
Options exist — opposition, cancellation on bad-faith or prior-rights grounds — but they are disputes, not paperwork, and outcomes are fact-specific. Take advice quickly; delay narrows the options.
Send the brand name, what you sell under it, and whether you have seen anyone using a similar name. We check for conflicts and quote a clearance search and filing as a fixed fee.
Start on WhatsApp[email protected]First contact is intake and a conflict check. Legal advice is given in a paid 90-minute consultation (Rp2.5 million, credited against your engagement if you retain the firm within 30 days). Please wait for instructions before sending documents.
You will be speaking with Jeremy Jordan, S.H. — DPN Indonesia, NIA 25.25.32730.
General information only, not legal advice for your situation. No result is guaranteed. Speak to a lawyer about your specific facts.