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Brett McGuire, an intellectual property consultant for Rouse and a weekly contributor to the Jakarta Globe’s business section, is all about Indonesia. The Kiwi transplant enjoys everything Jakarta has to offer, from daylong chess matches to roadside es campur.

Today, McGuire explains his fondness for the iPhone and tweeting, why everyone needs to see Kota and the perfect way to describe Jakarta in just four words.

When was the last time you bought a pirated DVD?

Last weekend. Because of the work I do it’s important to keep track of how quickly films and TV programs come out on pirate DVD and note the quality. For example, in the past year the number of TV shows available on pirate DVDs has increased dramatically, but the quality has dropped. This means that pirated DVDs of TV shows are coming to Indonesia via different distribution channels.

What is the Indonesian name for the raids officials carry out on pirate DVD stalls? Is it effective in the least?

I don’t know what the Indonesian name is, but I have heard it called the “square dance,” in reference to the stalls closing down before the police arrive and then opening up again when they leave. That’s a bit unfair to the police. The whole pirate DVD market is extremely well organized and it would take a huge sustained campaign of police raids to have any long-lasting impact. The police do their best, but they’ve got other fires to fight as well.

Pretend it’s your last day in Jakarta, what do you do with it?

I can’t even imagine — I don’t want to imagine that.

You have three Twitter accounts, but who do you follow?

Strictly speaking, they’re not all mine. Rouse_IP and Hakitree have several contributors from Rouse. I contribute links to articles about intellectual property. On my personal account I follow mainly Indonesians. Treespotter, who is a political blogger/commentator, Aulia from Macworld and LeonnieFM from the Priscilla Hall Memorial Foundation are a few. MrsHananto (Ligwina Hananto from Hard Rock FM) and her husband, DondiHananto, are a lot of fun. I follow a few Indonesians living abroad as well. Armsultan is an Indonesian-Kiwi living in Wellington and RonaldWidha is in Dubai.

What’s an IP consultant doing in Jakarta?

That’s a good question! A lot of my job is promoting Indonesia. Indonesia has a pretty bad reputation when it comes to IP. Some of this is because people don’t understand how things work here. We’re trying to change that. I spend a lot of time talking to people and learning. I get to meet a lot of very cool people in the process. There are a lot of people in the system — at the IP office, police and government generally — who are working very hard to improve things.

Can you give us an example of some juicy IP litigation going on here in the Big Durian?

Not if I want to keep my job!

Describe Jakarta in four words.

Lively, layered, complex and fun.

If you had friends coming into town where would you take them?

Definitely Kota and Sunda Kelapa. I think you get a real sense of how hard people work here just watching those guys carrying cargo on and off the boats. And as much as I hate shopping malls, you have to see them to believe them. I would definitely take them to Grand Indonesia for the wow factor and to ITC or Ambassador for the other extreme. This would give us a chance to enjoy the traffic, which is an absolute must for anyone coming to Jakarta. I got quite a kick out of watching my parents react to all the motorcycles screaming past when they were here last.

BlackBerry or iPhone?

iPhone because of the apps. I hardly use it as a phone at all. It’s more a mini-computer communication device for me. I spend more time tweeting than texting and on phone calls.

What are some of your favorite places in the city?

There are so many fantastic restaurants in Jakarta. Birdcage is a beautiful place to hang out in the evening. Toscana in Kemang, Koi Mahakam, Pepe Nero, Vin+ and Cork & Screw are all favorites, but I am happiest at a warung behind Pondok Indah Mall or in Widjaja eating satay ayam and es campur, kidding myself into believing that it’s not a lolly drink.

What’s the one thing you would take from your hometown in New Zealand and put in Jakarta?

This is going to sound strange, but a little less tolerance would be nice. The remarkable diversity of Jakarta means there’s a lot of tolerance of stuff that at a basic level is just wrong. People put up with a lot of crap just to avoid confrontation and to keep the wheels moving. Values get a bit skewed and we end up with silly anomalies like cars using the busway. This might seem small and inconsequential, but collectively these things cause the whole system to break down.

When you leave Jakarta what’s the one thing you know you’ll miss?

Tempeh. I know I’ll be able to get it wherever I go, but it just won’t be the same.



Brett McGuire was talking to Zack Petersen.