Ministry of Law: Brand Protection is the Main Foundation for Building the Sports Industry
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkum) considers brand protection to be the primary foundation in building a sustainable and trustworthy sports industry.
The Director General of Intellectual Property at Kemenkum, Hermansyah Siregar, stated that sports event organisers in Indonesia must begin viewing their event names as business identities that require legal protection.
“With strong legal protection, even a small event has the potential to grow into a significant economic asset in the future,” said Hermansyah in a statement confirmed in Jakarta on Tuesday.
In Indonesia, he noted, there is a growing trend of awareness regarding the importance of brand protection for sports events, particularly in prestigious running events like marathons.
He mentioned that various marathon event names, such as Borobudur Marathon and Jakarta Marathon, have been registered as trademarks to ensure exclusivity for the organisers and participants.
According to him, registration in Class 41 provides legal certainty for promoters to manage broadcasting rights, strategic partnerships, and community development, without fear of the name being appropriated for unofficial similar events.
“We want to encourage more players in the sports industry, whether large-scale or community-based, to realise that an event is part of a brand that can and should be registered,” he said.
Hermansyah hopes that this step will create a more professional and highly competitive national sports industry climate.
At the global level, he explained, the same applies to major sports events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup in football, which is anticipated by millions worldwide and is more than just tactical competition on the green field.
Behind its grandeur, he continued, there is a legal protection system safeguarding the event held every four years, one of which is through the trademark registration of “FIFA World Cup” by the International Football Federation (FIFA).
He stated that this global brand is registered in various classes, including Class 41, which specifically protects services for organising sports and entertainment events.
Hermansyah explained that protection in this class ensures that only the legitimate rights holder can use the name for commercial purposes, from match broadcasts to event activations in various countries.
“The registration of that event’s brand is an intellectual property asset with extraordinary value,” said Hermansyah.