Ministry of Law: Enhancing Patent Examiner Capacity an Urgent Need
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Ministry of Law (Kemenkum) has affirmed that enhancing patent examiner capacity is an urgent need amid increasing patent applications and global technological challenges.
Andrieansjah, Director of Patents, Integrated Circuit Layout Designs, and Trade Secrets at the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DJKI) under the Ministry of Law, stated that patent examiners play a strategic role in maintaining the balance between legal protection for inventors’ works and the public interest.
“To achieve zero backlog, patent examiners must possess strong technical competence, deep regulatory understanding, and sharp analytical skills,” said Andrieansjah during a seminar in Jakarta on Tuesday, as quoted from a confirmed statement.
To this end, the Ministry of Law is collaborating with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to hold a seminar and on-the-job training (OJT) entitled “Patent OJT for Young Examiners” from 24 to 26 February 2026 in Jakarta.
The programme aims to strengthen technical competence and the quality of patent examination in Indonesia.
Andrieansjah explained that over the three days, participants would receive comprehensive preparation covering examination procedures, novelty and inventive step assessments, and comparative document searches.
This material forms the foundation for producing examinations that are of high quality and legally consistent.
“This material is the primary foundation of quality examination reports. As patent examiners, your decisions will have an impact on the national innovation climate and industrial competitiveness in Indonesia,” he said.
In addition to speakers from JICA, the seminar and OJT also featured patent examination experts sharing their international patent examination experience.
Participants also undertook case studies and the utilisation of examination results as part of practice-based learning. This approach is expected to sharpen analytical acuity and ensure consistency in examination standards.
Andrieansjah assessed that international collaboration is key to building a credible, globally-standardised patent system. JICA’s support represents a tangible form of human resource strengthening in the field of intellectual property.
“This cooperation strengthens a globally-standardised patent system,” said Andrieansjah.
The seminar and OJT form part of DJKI’s strategic steps in supporting the designation of 2026 as the Year of Patents, which focuses on improving service quality, accelerating examinations, and strengthening the national innovation ecosystem.
Through early capacity building of patent examiners, DJKI is targeting the development of reliable examiners who can contribute to reducing the backlog of applications whilst enhancing legal certainty for inventors, thereby fostering Indonesia’s innovation climate and industrial competitiveness.
DJKI hopes that through the seminar, first-level patent examiners will be able to master both normative aspects and examination practice comprehensively.
Beyond human resource capacity building, DJKI is also promoting awareness among the public and industry players regarding the importance of patent protection to boost the national economy through its utilisation.