The number of chili sauce industry brands makes fierce competition in the market where each of them provides maximum performance to attract consumer interest, as is the case with Dua Belibis. Yes, of course you are familiar with the chili sauce brand, right? In addition to being fairly old, with a capacity that has entered the industrial scale, the distribution of Dua Belibis has also spread widely and is able to compete with other big players such as Indofood, ABC, Del Monte, Sasa, and so on. However, did you know that in the past, Dua Belibis sauce has a sad and controversial history? There was even an argument between family members and another chili sauce brand, Pohon Cabe. How come? Instead of being curious, let’s see the full story in the following article!
The Beginning of Two Grouse Chili Sauce
Dua Belibis was originally created by Subandy Rachman’s parents, a bakmi seller in West Jakarta who made a chili sauce to complement his wares. As told by Maria Handayani (Yani), Subandy’s daughter, the sauce turned out to be such a hit with customers that her grandmother decided to sell the sauce separately. The decision wasn’t wrong because over time, the chili sauce developed a loyal following that lasted for decades afterward. When his grandmother passed away, the business was continued by Subandy’s younger brother. But it wasn’t long before the business was handed over to Subandy as his brother decided to move to New Zealand with his family. In Subandy’s hands, the chili sauce that has been branded Dua Belibis is quite advanced and has begun to penetrate the export market through trade channels. The brand has been perceived for its natural spiciness with a touch of original savory flavor from the addition of garlic.
Two Grouse’s Fatal Negligence
The problem arose in 1997 when a small incident led to a big problem. Subandy accidentally forgot to renew the Dua Belibis chili sauce brand. When he realized this negligence, Subandy immediately took care of all the administration needed to extend the brand. But according to Yani, when it was taken care of, the Dua Belibis brand was already claimed by Subandy’s nephew. Subandy was shocked to learn that his nephew had already claimed the Dua Belibis chili sauce brand for himself. Disappointment and disputes within the family finally reached a breaking point and led to the court table. Subandy fought to retain the rights to the brand. Unfortunately, he lost because his legal evidence was not strong enough. This defeat required Subandy to stop production of all chili sauces using the Dua Belibis brand. In fact, the labeled chili sauce stock had to be withdrawn because it was considered a counterfeit.
The Birth of Chili Tree Brand Chili Sauce
After the brand rights dispute and confiscation, fortunately, Subandy still had 25 kg of chili sauce that had not yet been labeled and was therefore safe from confiscation by the authorities. Subandy then decided to label the remaining chili sauce with a new brand, “Pohon Cabe”, which had been prepared as a brand for their export segment. Limping along, Subandy had to rebuild his brand from scratch. Fortunately, the old distributors still had faith in Subandi despite the court ruling. They were even willing to help explain to consumers about Pohon Cabe’s flavor quality, which was exactly the same as Dua Belibis. This is what was then allegedly used as a weapon by Subandy’s ‘enemies’ with accusations of counterfeiting. In fact, said Yani, in terms of taste, the opposing party’s product actually experienced a shift because they did not hold the original recipe belonging to his grandmother. Until later, Subandy heard that ownership of Dua Belibis had finally passed into the hands of the cake ingredient manufacturer Cap Koepoe-Koepoe. Subandy did not want to change his parents’ original recipe that already had a fanatical fan base. He never wanted to add additional ingredients such as preservatives and artificial colors. The naturalness of the raw materials is what is then branded on the packaging label. Subandy is slowly rediscovering his market, although it is not as big as Dua Belibis’. To develop his business brand, Subandy participates in many exhibitions and bazaars, especially those related to food.
What are the Lessons Learned?
Trademark renewal is a very important step in maintaining trademark rights, and the case between Dua Belibis and Pohon Cabe is a clear example of how crucial it is in the business world. This is because trademark ownership is one of the ways to increase competitiveness in the business world. However, what is often forgotten is that a registered trademark has a validity period of 10 years from the date of application for trademark registration. Therefore, if the validity period of the trademark has expired, it is necessary to apply for an extension of the trademark through the Ministry of Law and Human Rights for the next 10 years. This submission can be made no later than six months before the validity period of the trademark expires. If not, business people will no longer have rights to the trademark, as experienced by Subandy. Why is this necessary? Because the trademark extension also has many benefits, you know! Here are some of them:
Protecting Ownership Rights
Trademark renewal is a way to protect ownership rights over trademarks. Without renewal, these rights can easily be taken by other parties, as happened in the case of Dua Belibis. This incident reminds businesses that negligence in brand renewal can result in losing rights that have been built up over the years.
Avoiding Controversy and Legal Disputes
The Dua Belibis case shows how brand renewal issues can trigger conflicts within families and lead to litigation. Thus, a timely renewal process can avoid costly and protracted legal disputes that can damage the brand image and drain business resources.
Maintaining Customer Loyalty
Customers who have been loyal to a brand for a long time may feel confused or disappointed if they have to be replaced. In the case of Dua Belibis, fortunately the old distributor still trusted Subandy and helped to explain the same taste quality of Pohon Cabe as the previous Dua Belibis. This shows how important it is to maintain customer loyalty and avoid unplanned brand changes.
Adding Selling Value to Business
The brand that you have is a very valuable asset for business continuity. So when it has been registered and extended, the value of the assets you have will increase every time. Overall, the Dua Belibis case provides a valuable lesson on the importance of brand extension in maintaining brand rights, business continuity, and customer trust.
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It also reminds us that brand extension is not a task to be neglected and should be seriously managed to protect the valuable assets of a business or company.
KH Contact
Well, for KH Pals whose trademark validity period will also expire, don’t forget to renew it immediately! This is very important, considering that if the application for trademark extension exceeds the deadline, then you will receive a fine according to the provisions or even the trademark will be used by other parties as happened in the Dua Belibis case. To do so, KH pals can contact Kontrak Hukum. We can help you to register or renew your trademark through a trademark analysis process first so that it is guaranteed to be safe and accepted by the DJKI! Visit the KH Services – Trademark Renewal page or contact us at Ask KH for a free consultation, and send a direct message (DM) to Instagram @kontrakhukum. With KH, #semuajadiberes!
