Indon patent?

- Indonesia claims the keris "as its own" being "invented" or having "originated" in a certain area or by a certain ethnic group of Indonesia.

- The keris is a weapon found widely in Southeast Asia, including what Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand in various shapes and forms.

- The "sword" is a weapon found all over the world in various shapes and forms. No one people and country claimed to have "origated" the sword, but to acknowledge that the Japanese samurai and ninja swords are not the same as a Spanish or Arabic or Turkish sword.

- Can Indonesia copyright or patent the keris as its intellectual property with WIPO? Did UNESCO really say Indonesia is the country of origin of the keris and thus Indonesia has sole claims on it?

- As parts of Malaysia now were parts of Sriwijaya and Majapahit, did Indonesians not know that parts of Indonesia now were part of Melaka empire?

- Did Indonesians not know that the Melaka empire, as an trading centre was instrumental in spreading Bahasa Melayu throughout the Malay archipelago?

- From the times Langkasuka, Sriwijaya, Majapahit, Melaka, Dutch and English colonisation and now, there were free flow of people and ideas and cultural cross fertilisation in what is Malaysia and Indonesia just as in all Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.

- Do Indonesia really think it can now dictate and control this process now when its ethnic groups have benefited tremendously in their cultural development from external sources and influeces, particularly from India and now "pretends" it is all "indigenous"?

- Indonesia better do their "cultural" products better in quality, especially in arts and crafts, in the marketing of their performing arts such as the so-called traditional dances better... as pendet dance of Bali, batik Jawa, angklung Sunda etc..... branding is everything for distintiveness of where it comes from.

- I think Malaysia batik is better than Javenese batik of whatever specific areas. I think the Kajang satay is more delicious than sate Padang.

- Branding, branding, branding and to be specific to designers and manufacturers to be able to patent or copyright them.

- McDonald's has branded and patented their image and hamburgers even though hamburgers is in the public domain as a foodstuff. We now have a choice of home-cooked burgers, Ramly Burgers or Wendy's too if we don't want McDonald's burgers.

- The same principle applies to batik....branding and marketing to identity and differentiate in the marketplace.

Cheers