Jakarta (ANTARA) - In response to a report on the sale of counterfeit goods at Mangga Dua shopping center, Jakarta, the Ministry of Industry has doubled down on prevention efforts in the market.

The issue was highlighted by the United States in its 2025 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers.

Industry Ministry spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arif on Tuesday said that such goods are mostly brought into Indonesia via the regular import mechanism or e-commerce by utilizing the Bonded Logistics Center (PLB) warehouse.

To block the circulation of counterfeit goods, the ministry plans to draft a regulation requiring importers or parties selling imported goods to display a brand certificate on their e-commerce pages.

Arif informed that the ministry had earlier made brand certificates mandatory for importers requesting import recommendations.

The initiative was realized in the form of Regulation of the Minister of Industry (Permenperin) Number 5 of 2024 concerning Procedures for Issuing Technical Considerations for Importing Textiles, Textile Products, Bags, and Footwear.

Under the regulation, importers lacking a brand certificate did not receive an import recommendation from the Ministry of Industry. Thus, they could not bring pirated goods into the domestic market.

"The goal is to filter and prevent pirated goods from entering the Indonesian market," Arif emphasized.

However, he noted that the regulation was not favored by importers and did not get support from other ministries/institutions.

"Unfortunately, the regulation is no longer valid due to the change in the Minister of Trade Regulation No. 36 of 2024, as the basis for the issuance of our regulation," he said.

"As a result, there is no obligation for importers to submit brand certificates from principals when they submit import applications to the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Industry," he added.

His ministry has assessed that efforts to supervise and take action against the circulation of counterfeit goods in the domestic market will not be effective, considering the large volume of these goods and the vastness of the Indonesian market.

In addition, complaints, as a basis for action, are also difficult to resolve because most of the principals or brand holders are abroad.

Therefore, the ministry is opting for preventing the circulation of counterfeit goods rather than taking action in the domestic market, Arif explained.



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