SBM ITB welcomed practitioners and legal professionals expert in patents and law to offer their knowledge of managing legal issues, brands, and patents in startup firms and SMEs through a webinar entitled “What SMEs & Startups Need to Know about Legal Issues & Patents” on Saturday (16/10/2021).
This webinar, organized by SBM ITB’s Career Service, Industrial, and Alumni Relations unit, is part of the Integrated Career Preparation program, which aims to equip and assist final year students and fresh graduates in the early to mid-stage of their careers by coaching, counseling, and presenting experts from industry.
I Wayan Gunada, SH. MH, the Founder of PT Oleco Aplikasi Handal, presented in the first session of this webinar. He delivered a practical presentation on startups registration and legal administration, covering how to manage license paperwork, intellectual property rights (HAKI), and contracts with stakeholders, such as investors, co-founders, and customers.
The head of the ITB Law Office also talked about how the majority of the general population has a distorted view of the law and how, via OLeCo, he hoped to transform the face of law in Indonesia to be more welcoming.
“When most people think of the law, they think of how to stay out of trouble. In reality, everything we do in our everyday lives is governed by the law, from ID cards to certifications to e-commerce transactions. Thus, we have to educate people about practical laws to approach the law calmly, without panicking or worrying excessively. The law should not be regarded as something to be avoided, but rather as a way of life,” said I Wayan.
As the second speaker, Didi Diarsa Adiana, the founder of the Wooden Bike, discussed legality and startups patents in the context of the creative business. Didi talked about the role of Code Margonda in advancing the creative sector and startups growth. Code Margonda emphasizes understanding legal matters in the incubation phase for founders to not be hampered by legal problems. Didi then used Flip.Id as an example.
Flip.Id is one of the startups formed in Code Margonda that engages in the FinTech field to assist the interbank money transfer procedure without any fee. Flip.Id was once reprimanded by Bank Indonesia and even temporarily suspended when its users reached 10,000 for not complying with the regulations set by Bank Indonesia. After negotiations with Bank Indonesia, Flip.Id was able to resume operations even though it had to go through a rather lengthy process.
This incident is one of the avoidable roadblocks in the growth of startups. “90% of startups require legal assistance, and when it sorts out its legal matters, startups can proliferate,” Didi added.