I have become aware that some (former) applicants for Indonesian patents have recently received letters from the Directorate General of Intellectual Property Rights in Indonesia requesting payment of annual maintenance fees relating to abandoned patents dating back to the 1990’s.Thanks to the efforts of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), various national patent offices, attorneys and agents, and even the occasional blogger, many patent applicants are now conscious of the ‘registration’ and ‘maintenance’ scams being perpetrated by unscrupulous operators. Unsurprisingly, therefore, a number of recipients of letters purporting to come from the Indonesian authorities have responded with suspicion, and referred the correspondence to their patent attorneys for verification.
In this case, it appears that the letters are genuine. It looks like the Indonesian IP Office really is requesting payment of thousands of dollars in overdue maintenance fees on patents which were abandoned perhaps a decade or more ago!
An example of such a letter (with names and numbers redacted to protect the identity of the applicant and attorney in question) is included below. But first, a little background.
Tags: Indonesia, Maintenance fees, Patent Office
