In its plenary session of February 9 2015, the Indonesian House of Representatives declared that 37 key bills would be prioritized for deliberation in 2015. Much to the delight of IP stakeholders, Indonesia’s Trademark and Patent Bills were among the 37 prioritized bills set to be passed this year.

The Trademark Bill is particularly significant, as it will include, among other things:

• an introduction to non-traditional trademarks and the Madrid Protocol;
• refinements to current practices; and
• clearer procedures for post-publication substantive examinations and for obtaining preliminary injunctions.

Importantly, the current legislators have set a realistic number of bills to deliberate, unlike the previous House of Representatives, which passed less than 20 of the approximate 100 bills proposed in 2014.

The more manageable, focused, and realistic target of 37 bills provides a greater degree of certainty that the amendments will be prioritized and enacted this year. The bills also indicate that Indonesia is committed to complying with its international obligations—in particular the AEC Blueprint, which requires the ASEAN member states to implement the Madrid Protocol system.