Sunday (29 June 2014) marked the start of Ramadan - a month of fasting for Muslims, that will conclude with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. Around 90% of Indonesians are Muslim and will be observing Ramadan.
Ramadan has a significant effect on legal practice in Indonesia. Government authorities generally operate at reduced capacity, and response times from the private sector can also be slow. Some Muslims also believe that confrontation should be avoided during Ramadan, and this can impact on the conduct of dispute resolution.
Access to the Directorate-General of Intellectual Property ("DGIP”) will be affected, it having adopted the following reduced opening hours for its filing counters:
Monday to Thursday8:00am to 2:00pm, with a short break for lunch between 12:00pm and 12:30pm
(usually 8:00am to 3:00pm)
Friday8:00am to 2:00pm, with a longer break for lunch between 11:30am and 1:00pm to accommodate Friday prayers
(usually 8:00am to 3:30pm)
Our offices, Courts and most government offices (including the DGIP and BPOM) will be closed from 28 July 2014 to 1 August 2014. We will open for business as usual on Monday 4 August.