Copyright Bill to Regulate Royalties for Journalistic Works

A proposed revision to Law Number 28 of 2014 concerning Copyright has become a House of Representatives initiative. The Copyright Bill would establish protections and exclusive rights for journalistic works.

Bob Hasan, Chair of the House Legislative Body, stated that just as music and other creative works are protected, journalistic works cannot be arbitrarily reproduced and distributed.

“This means that exclusive rights are inherent to such works. Every work, whether it is music, journalism or otherwise, must have protection,” Bob said at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday (12 March).

Bob noted that through the Copyright Bill, journalistic works can only be utilised with permission and royalty payments. According to him, the Copyright Bill will protect the works of every person.

“If it contains an element of creative work, even if it is perhaps general in nature and subsequently adopted as a journalistic creation, then when it is to be distributed again or made part of journalistic content or news created by someone, it must obtain permission, and there would naturally be royalty rights involved,” he said.

The Copyright Bill has officially become a House of Representatives initiative for discussion with the government. The House has targeted passage of the bill this year alongside the Domestic Workers Protection Bill.

Bob stated that the House would await a Presidential Letter and an inventory of issues before formally beginning discussions with the government to enact it into law.

“Yes, the first priority is the Domestic Workers Protection Bill, then the Copyright Law,” Dasco said yesterday.