Buying an Indonesian business: what comes with the brand?

Make the brand part of the transaction brief

A business may trade under a familiar name while its website, trademark and customer-facing accounts sit with different owners. Before placing a value on the brand, ask the seller to list what the proposed transaction includes. Start with the trading name, logo, website, domain names, photographs, design files and the accounts used to attract customers. Give each item its own line. This is a practical acquisition checklist, not a business listing or confirmation that any particular asset is available.

Identify the company behind the trading name

AHU provides an official company-profile search service, and its guidance distinguishes requests for a full profile from a latest profile. Use the legal company name when arranging the search, then ask your adviser to reconcile the resulting records with the seller’s corporate documents and proposed transaction. A familiar trading name is not enough to identify the contracting party. Record which entity operates the business and which entity or individual is said to own each brand asset.

AHU — guide to company-profile searches ↗

Check the trademark record separately

DJKI’s guidance explains that PDKI trademark records can show the application status, class, protection period, application number and owner. Those fields provide a starting point for questions about the brand offered for sale. Ask an intellectual-property adviser to compare the record with the actual goods or services, the logo being used and the documents supplied by the seller. Have any mismatch investigated. A database search should inform the review; it does not establish that all rights needed for your transaction have been secured.

DJKI — using the Indonesian intellectual-property database ↗

Distinguish ownership from account access

Ask who controls the domain registration, hosting, business email, website administration and social accounts. Someone who can log in may not be the contracting customer or the owner of the underlying content. For each service, document the account holder, renewal arrangements and the provider’s permitted handover process. Check whether the proposed transaction allows continued use or requires a new agreement. Do not assume that passwords alone will keep the business running after completion.

Include the material that makes the brand usable

Request an inventory of original artwork, editable design files, product photography, website code and licences for third-party material. Ask whether employees, agencies or freelancers created those assets and what agreements support the business’s use of them. Flag any item that cannot be documented. Keep customer information separate from ordinary marketing files: have an adviser assess the data obligations relevant to the deal before access or transfer, and use appropriately limited information during diligence.

Turn the inventory into a handover schedule

For each agreed asset, write down the supporting evidence, required action, responsible party and completion check. That might mean confirming control of a domain, testing an authorised administrator account or receiving the agreed source files. Ask your legal adviser to reflect the agreed scope and unresolved conditions in the transaction documents. Plan the sequence carefully where changes could interrupt email, bookings or payments. Confirm access and continuity before removing the outgoing operator’s permissions under the agreed process.

Start with the assets that drive revenue

If most enquiries arrive through one website or account, investigate that dependency early. A complete inventory helps you ask focused questions and organise a workable transition. Share your intended sector, acquisition stage and the support you need through Vivo Asia’s enquiry form. You can begin with a broad brief; sensitive business records should follow through an agreed secure review process.