How to Register an Industrial Design in Indonesia with the DGIP

An industrial design registration in Indonesia protects the ornamental appearance of a product: its shape, configuration, the composition of lines or colours, or a combination of these, that gives a particular aesthetic impression and can be applied to an industrial product or handicraft. The right is granted by the DGIP (Directorate General of Intellectual Property), the national IP office under the relevant Indonesian government ministry (confirm the current ministry with the DGIP, as departmental responsibilities have been reorganised). This page walks through how the Indonesian process works in general terms, what makes it distinctive, and the choices a foreign applicant faces along the way. For the wider picture, see our overview of design protection in Indonesia.

A registered design protects how a product looks, not how it works. Technical or functional features belong to the patent system, or in Indonesia to the simple patent (paten sederhana, the local utility-model equivalent for incremental technical improvements). The design right is about ornamental appearance, so the first question to ask is whether the value you want to protect lies in the look of the product rather than its function.

What qualifies as a registrable design

Indonesian law protects a design that is new and that relates to the ornamental appearance of a product. Two ideas sit behind this. The design must be new, judged against designs already made available to the public, and it must concern appearance rather than purely technical function. Forms dictated solely by technical or functional considerations generally fall outside design protection, so it is worth thinking early about whether the distinctive element of your product is genuinely ornamental.

Novelty is the requirement to watch. Broadly, a design is treated as new if, before the relevant cut-off date, it was not the same as a design already disclosed to the public, whether through use, publication, or other disclosure. The precise reach of the prior art that counts against a design, and the exact cut-off (the filing date, or a validly claimed priority date), are jurisdiction-specific points to confirm with the DGIP or local counsel.

Why filing before disclosure matters

The single most important practical point is that novelty is judged by reference to the position before you file, and disclosure before that cut-off can defeat your own application. If you launch the product, exhibit it, publish images online, or otherwise make the design public before filing, you risk destroying the novelty you are relying on.

Indonesian law may provide a limited grace period, under which certain disclosures by the applicant within a defined window before filing (for example at an official or officially recognised exhibition, or certain uses for education, research or development) can be disregarded when novelty is assessed, provided the conditions are met. The existence, length and precise conditions of any such grace period are exactly the kind of detail that should be confirmed with the DGIP or local counsel rather than assumed, and a grace period should always be treated as a fallback, not a plan. It is narrow, it depends on evidencing the relevant disclosure correctly, and it offers no help in other countries that do not recognise an equivalent grace period. Indonesia operates a first-to-file system, so the conservative course is straightforward: file first, disclose afterwards. Filing early also reduces exposure to a separate, well-documented risk in Indonesia, namely bad-faith and squatting filings by third parties, which are easier to pre-empt when you are on file ahead of them.

Representations and the application

An Indonesian design application identifies the applicant and the designer, indicates the product to which the design applies, and includes representations of the design. Those representations (drawings, photographs, or other images) carry real weight, because the scope of the right you end up with is defined by what they show. The views should make the design's appearance clear and consistent from the angles needed to understand it, and care taken here pays off later. Where colour or a particular surface pattern is part of what you are claiming, that needs to be reflected in the representations. Filings are made in Bahasa Indonesia, so the application and supporting documents are prepared in that language.

Indonesia is a national filing, not a Hague filing

A point that surprises businesses running an international design programme: Indonesia is not a member of the Hague System for the international registration of industrial designs administered by WIPO. There is therefore no international design route into Indonesia. You cannot designate Indonesia through a single Hague application the way you can for member territories; protection for a design in Indonesia is obtained by filing a national application directly with the DGIP. Our overview of the Hague System explains how that international route works for the countries that are members, and why Indonesia sits outside it. If your filing strategy assumed Hague coverage, Indonesia needs to be planned as a separate national filing, with its own local representative, language requirements and fees.

The local-consultant requirement

Foreign applicants, meaning those without a domicile or established place of business in Indonesia, are required to act through a registered Indonesian intellectual property consultant. This is not merely a convenience. The consultant is appointed under a power of attorney, files and prosecutes the application before the DGIP, and serves as the point of contact throughout the life of the right. Because the proceedings and documents are in Bahasa Indonesia, engaging a qualified local consultant is the normal and practical route from the outset, and it remains relevant for any later steps.

Registration, term and maintenance

The DGIP carries out a formality check on a design application and then publishes it for an opposition window. Where a third party files an objection within that window, the DGIP conducts a substantive (novelty) examination; otherwise the design proceeds to registration without a routine substantive review. Treat the length of the opposition window and the overall timeline as confirm-with-counsel points, and verify the current procedure with the DGIP or counsel rather than assuming fixed periods.

Once registered, an Indonesian industrial design gives the holder an exclusive right to the registered design for a defined term that runs from a statutory starting point. Unlike patents, Indonesian design registrations may not carry renewal or annual maintenance fees, so a design term is typically a fixed period rather than something kept alive by recurring payments. Treat the length of that term, the structure of the protection period, and whether any renewal or maintenance obligation applies as confirm-with-counsel points, and verify the current position on the DGIP's official website, because these statutory details can change.

On fees generally: official fees apply, and they depend on variables such as the number of designs and the way the application is filed. Confirm the current amounts with the DGIP or local counsel. The practical cost drivers to budget for are the official filing fees, the cost of preparing clear representations, professional fees for the local consultant, and translation work into Bahasa Indonesia.

Getting this right

Registering an industrial design in Indonesia rewards careful sequencing: confirm the design is genuinely ornamental and new, prepare clear representations, file before any disclosure, and appoint a registered Indonesian IP consultant to file nationally, because the Hague route is not available here. Because the statutory details on grace periods, terms, opposition windows and any maintenance obligation change over time, the points flagged above as confirm-with-counsel should be checked against current DGIP guidance before you act.

IPEnvoy is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This page is general information only and is not a substitute for advice on your specific situation. Confirm the current position with the DGIP's official website and a qualified local IP professional, who we can help connect you with for filing strategy and to verify current procedure, deadlines and fees.