INDONESIA

Getting Tough on Trademark Violations: Indonesia put updated trademark laws into operation last week in an effort to shed its image as one of the world’s more notorious producers of pirated goods. The new laws prohibit the Indonesian trademark office from licensing trademarks that are already widely known and provide for a six-month appeal period before a license is awarded. Violators will face penalties of up to seven years in jail and fines of up to $49,000. Local businessmen have commonly registered duplicates of famous trademarks and then tried to sell them back to the original owners for large sums. Shops openly display shoddy copies of famous-name products, and copies of audio and videocassette tapes and computer software are often easier to find than the originals.