EASY PICKINGS IN EAST TIMOR

The IPKat received an email from Indonesia-based intellectual property practice Acemark, informing him that the recently independent island of East Timor currently has no IP Laws.

Acemark says it has been informed that, in the transitional period before it enacts its own IP laws, that jurisdiction is applying Indonesian law. This doesn't help in the case of registered rights, since there isn't anywhere yet to register them.

Acemark cites trade mark infringements of AQUASE, SO KLIN and RINSO which are now being tried before Court of Justice in East Timor's capital Dili and, sticking its neck out, says:

"whereas we are definitely certain that in the absence of trade mark registration or cautionary notice made by the trade mark owners, those infringers will be very shortly released and discharged. In brief, we urged the Government of East Timor to consider establishing an IP office in the country at once. We hope they will respond and react to our letter favourably shortly".

Anyone wishing to take this issue up with Acemark, who are lobbying for proper IP protection, should do so here.

The IPKat reckons that when East Timor can spend its time worrying about which sort of IP laws to introduce, we will know that that troubled island has recovered from the events of its traumatic past. Merpel, the kitten smitten by Friday-irrelevance, asks: why don't we ever hear about West Timor?

Data on East Timor here; East Timor culture here