Jakarta (ANTARA) – Trade Minister Budi Santoso said Indonesia must strengthen intellectual property (IP) protection for high value-added domestic products to safeguard creative rights and boost their competitiveness in global markets.He said stronger IP protection would secure financial rights over creative works while helping Indonesian products compete internationally.“Therefore, in every negotiation with other countries, intellectual property is always a key concern because we must protect our national assets in both domestic and global markets,” Santoso said Thursday.He said products backed by strong intellectual property generate economic value while creating jobs and improving public welfare.The Trade Ministry supports Indonesia’s intellectual property ecosystem by linking innovation with markets through commercialization and downstream development of intellectual property.The ministry promotes IP-based products through trade promotion, business matching, marketplaces, export facilitation and stronger branding for Indonesian goods.It is also working to improve the competitiveness of IP-based exports, ensuring Indonesian products combine high quality with legally protected identities in global markets.“Indonesian products must not only be of high quality but also have legally protected identities through trademarks and patents. Trademarks are increasingly important in exports, promotion and international negotiations,” Santoso said.The ministry also seeks to strengthen legal certainty in trade, advance Indonesia’s interests in international negotiations and support the growth of intellectual property-based micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.