Intellectual Property Could Surpass Natural Resources in Value, Says Indonesian Vice Minister

Vice Minister of Law Otto Hasibuan said that Indonesia’s intellectual property (IP) has the potential to provide economic value that is no less significant than its natural resources. Speaking at the National Intellectual Property Coordination Forum in Jakarta on Wednesday, he noted that the country has historically focused on exploiting natural wealth such as mining, nickel, and gold, while overlooking the potential of IP.

Otto emphasised that developing intellectual property cannot be done by a single ministry alone, as it involves nearly all sectors of development. He stated that the Ministry of Law is now taking on the role of the primary driver to coordinate efforts across various ministries and agencies. “We have only thought about our natural resources. We never thought that intellectual property could actually be greater than the natural wealth we have been working on,” Otto said.

The forum marks a significant step in drafting a national intellectual property roadmap. Otto expressed hope that the roadmap would serve as a common reference and be integrated into the national development planning documents. Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas added that the cross-ministerial programme aims to maximise Indonesia’s extraordinary but underutilised assets, ensuring the resulting document can be implemented by all ministries.