The Bali-based John Hardy jewellery company has been acquired by private equity firm Catterton Partners in a deal worth USD100million - USD120million, according to The Beat Daily.
From an intellectual property perspective the deal is interesting because John Hardy has an aggressive design prosecution strategy. Applications filed by John Hardy regularly feature in the Design Gazettes, and a significant portfolio of registered design rights has been assembled. No doubt the value of the designs portfolio featured in negotiations leading up to the deal.
While it is often said that rights holders face significant challenges in navigating Indonesia’s IP infrastructure, it is also true that participation in the system is a prerequisite to achieving any results. Securing registered IP rights facilities enforcement and secures value. In John Hardy’s case this positioned the company well for acquisition.