Indonesia's New Design Bill: DJKI Floats 33-Day Registration and Asks If the Appeal Commission Should Go

By Ozan Attas

Photo: bedrck / Pixabay

Indonesia is rewriting its industrial design statute, and the IP office has put its wish list on the table. At a focus group discussion on the draft Industrial Design Law (RUU Desain Industri) held at its Jakarta headquarters on 20 July 2026, the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DJKI) proposed that a design application could be handled in as little as 33 days.

The current statute, Law No. 31 of 2000, has governed design protection for more than twenty years. DJKI says digital trade, the creative economy and the use of artificial intelligence in design work now call for a broader update.

Who was in the room

Members of the special committee (Pansus) of the House of Representatives (DPR) handling the bill attended, along with the head of the civil chamber of the Supreme Court, academics, business owners and creative industry associations. Committee chair Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo said the DPR wants to hear from everyone affected and that their input will feed into deliberations.

DJKI's main proposals

• 33 days. Director General Hermansyah Siregar said the shorter timeline depends on a fully digital process from filing to certificate, fewer document requirements, risk-based examination, and AI tools to speed up prior art searches and substantive examination.
• The Design Appeal Commission. DJKI wants a closer look at whether the commission is still needed. Its view is that the commission adds a bureaucratic step and slows disputes over refusals, while the Commercial Court can handle them.
• Other topics. The discussion also covered stronger multiple design applications, a longer novelty grace period, filing through the WIPO International Bureau under the Hague System, cancellation and lawsuit procedure, aligning criminal penalties with the new Criminal Code, designs created with AI help, customs border measures, and the fee structure for filing and renewal.

Hermansyah stressed that none of this is final. The proposals are discussion material that still has to be tested academically, in practice and for its impact on stakeholders before any of it becomes text in the bill.

What it means for applicants

For now nothing changes. Law No. 31 of 2000 still applies, and the current process runs through administrative examination, publication and substantive examination. DJKI's separate service target, for applications filed from 1 October 2026, is four months where no objection is raised.

Two points are worth watching. First, Indonesia is not yet a member of the Hague Agreement, so filing an international design application that designates Indonesia is not possible today. The Hague item in the bill debate is a topic of study, not a commitment to join. Second, if the Appeal Commission is dropped, applicants refused on substance would likely take their challenge straight to the Commercial Court, which could change both cost and strategy.

Designers and small firms that sell furniture, fashion, crafts or packaging should follow the Pansus deliberations and send views through their associations while the text is still open.

Sources

• DJKI: DJKI Usulkan Pendaftaran Desain Industri Rampung dalam 33 Hari (20 July 2026)
• DJKI: Mulai 1 Oktober, Merek dan Desain Industri Selesai 4 Bulan
• DJKI: Desain Industri, syarat dan prosedur