Government Requires Electronic Gadgets To Have Indonesian Manuals

The Indonesian government’s Ministry of Commerce will revise laws concerning electronic devices, so that tablet computers like the iPad or Galaxy Tab must be sold with a user manual in the Indonesian language.

So far there are 45 electronic products already listed in Indonesian consumer trade laws. It is stipulated that those telecommunications and electronics products manufactured and imported for trade in the domestic market must have the instructions and warranty card in the Indonesian language.

Strangely, tablet computers – now hugely popular in Indonesia – were not to included in those 45 product types. But these laws will be revised so that the tablet computers will be included in the trade act.

Director General of Standardization and Consumer Protection, Nus Nuzulia Ishak, said:

The iPad was not included as a product subject to liability for Indonesian manual inclusion. (But) The law is not something that can not be revised, so it may be reviewed every two years.

This legal grey area has resulted in a few controversial cases. Most notably two Indonesians were recently accused of selling pirated iPads through an online trading forum, but they contested the basis of their arrest since this law covering tablets has not yet been enacted. The court decided to suspend the jail term for these sellers eventually.

This law will be a concern for electronics producers intending to release tablet devices in Indonesia, if they hope to avoid a similar fate.

[Source : Detik]