Jurnal Pengabdian Hukum Indonesia
Vol. 9 No. 1 (2026): (January-June 2026)

Strengthening Legal Protection for Traditional Cultural Expressions in North Sulawesi: A Community-Based Approach to Prevent Commercial Misappropriation

Maskun Maskun (Faculty of Law, Universitas Hasanuddin)
Budiyanto Budiyanto (Faculty of Law, Universitas Cenderawasih)
Muhammad Saleh Tajuddin (Faculty of Ushuluddin and Philosophy, Universitas Islam Negeri Alauddin Makassar)
Muhammad Mutawalli Mukhlis (Department of Sharia and Islamic Business Economy, Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri Majene)
Ahmad Masum (Faculty of Law, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali)



Article Info

Publish Date
13 Jul 2026

Abstract

This community service aims to strengthen the legal protection of Traditional Cultural Expressions (TCEs) in North Sulawesi against unauthorized commercial utilization by improving stakeholders' understanding of communal intellectual property (IP) protection and enhancing readiness for inventory and documentation. The program adopted a participatory legal community service approach involving needs identification, legal counseling, interactive discussions, and evaluation with local stakeholders. The needs assessment identified two major challenges: incomplete inventory and documentation of TCEs for communal intellectual property registration and the absence of local mechanisms governing permission and benefit-sharing for commercial utilization. To address these issues, the program produced three practical outputs: a shared action pathway for communal IP registration, a simplified inventory and documentation checklist, and policy recommendations supporting local regulations on permission and benefit-sharing. The findings indicate that legal counseling combined with stakeholder participation can improve institutional readiness for communal IP protection while providing an operational basis for strengthening preventive legal protection. The program also highlights the importance of developing regional regulations or a sui generis legal framework to ensure legal certainty, equitable benefit-sharing, and the sustainable preservation of Traditional Cultural Expressions in North Sulawesi. This aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

JPHI

Publisher

Subject

Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice

Description

The Jurnal Pengabdian Hukum Indonesia (Indonesian Journal of Legal Community Engagement) (ISSN Print 2654-8313 ISSN Online 2654-8305) focuses on the intersection of law and community service, with an emphasis on legal interventions aimed at addressing a variety of social ...