From magic charms to symbols of wealth: well-known trade marks in Indonesia

Different from articles that focus in particular on the protection of foreign well-known trade marks in Indonesia, this chapter will also examine famous local brands in their socio-economic context. The role of trade marks according to intellectual property textbooks is to signify the origin of goods or services, the quality of the product, to advertise it and to provide consumers with information about the product. We can detect some significant differences in these roles, however, if we examine trade marks in the context of young post-colonial nation states. Such differences have much to do with the nature of the local economy, with the role of foreign corporations and with attempts to strengthen and build up domestic enterprises.