Application of the first to file principle in trademark registration in Indonesia
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Abstract
Trademark registration in Indonesia adheres to the first-to-file principle, whereby trademark rights are obtained after legal registration with the state. This study aims to analyze the application of this principle through a case study of the trademark dispute over “I Am Geprek Bensu” between Benny Suono and Ruben Onsu. This research uses a normative uridical method with a statutory approach and literature study, Although the first-tofile has been widely discussed in Indonesian trademark literature, most existing studies studies examine the principle in the abstract or in dispute in between commercial entities, leaving unexamined the evidentiary and bad-faith dynamics that arise when a public figure’s fame is invoked against a firest register. This study addresses that gap by using the Geprek Bensu dispute to examine how courts weigh documented bad faith against public recognition under a constitutive registration system, offering a novel account of how the first-to-file principle interacts with the bad-faith doctrine under Article 21(3) of Law No. 20 of 2016. The results of the study show that the first-to-file principle provides legal certainty to the party who first submits the registration application, as stipulated in Article 3 of Law No. 20 of 2016 concerning Trademarks and Geographical Indications. In this case, Benny Suono, as the first registrant of the “I Am Geprek Bensu” trademark, was recognized as the legal owner and received legal protection, while Ruben Onsu's claim was reected by the court because it did not meet the formal requirements for trademark registration. The ruling confirms that the trademark registration system in Indonesia is constitutive, meaning that only registered trademarks receive legal protection. The application of the first-to-file principle is important to create legal certainty, protect business owners, and prevent confusion among the public in distinguishing between similar products.
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