Government Conducts Public Consultation on Copyright Bill, AI and Royalties in Focus
The government is holding a public consultation on the Copyright Bill to update regulations deemed necessary to adapt to developments in digital technology and the creative industry ecosystem. Issues of artificial intelligence (AI) and improvements in royalty governance are the main focus of the discussions.
The Directorate General of Intellectual Property under the Ministry of Law conveyed this during the Public Consultation on the Copyright Bill, held online via Zoom on Monday (4/5/2026).
Director General of Intellectual Property Hermansyah Siregar stated that revisions to Law Number 28 of 2014 are needed to address changes in the increasingly digitalised creative landscape. “Developments in digital technology, including artificial intelligence and digital platforms, have presented new challenges that require an adaptive, anticipatory, and fair legal framework,” said Hermansyah in a press release on Tuesday (5/5/2026).
He explained that the Copyright Bill contains several fundamental changes, including recognition of AI-based works on the condition of human intellectual contribution, strengthening the governance of collective management institutions, and regulations on journalistic rights, panorama freedom, and secondary use of literary works. The government considers these changes necessary to maintain a balance between protecting creators and public access to works.
Director of Copyright and Industrial Design Agung Damarsasongko added that strengthening institutions is an important factor for the royalty system to operate transparently and accountably. He said that royalty distribution is expected to be more targeted through improved supervisory functions and governance of collective management institutions.
“Through strengthened supervisory functions and governance, it is hoped that royalty distribution can be more targeted and provide legal certainty for both creators and users,” said Agung.
In an academic perspective, Ahmad M Ramli assessed that AI should be positioned as a tool, not a legal subject of creation. He emphasised that copyright protection still depends on human creative contributions, including curation, editing, and creative decision-making processes.
“The use of AI in creating works must meet principles of transparency, accountability, and significant human intervention,” said Ramli.
LMKN Commissioner for Related Rights Marcell Siahaan assessed that the reconstruction of royalty institutions needs to be accompanied by strengthened supervision and fast, binding administrative dispute resolution mechanisms. He emphasised the importance of national system integration so that royalty governance is not fragmented.
“Without a single integrated national system that can be audited, royalty governance will remain fragmented and potentially disadvantage creators,” said Marcell.
Chair of the Indonesian Musicians’ Union Federation for the Musicians’ Profession Candra Darusman highlighted the need for institutional transformation towards the LMKN 2.0 concept based on national data integration. He explained that the system includes consolidation of collective management institutions, implementation of global metadata standards, and utilisation of digital technologies such as AI and blockchain to improve royalty distribution accuracy.
“This transformation is expected to increase public trust, accelerate royalty distribution, and ensure creators receive their rights optimally,” said Candra.
Through this public consultation, the government reaffirms that intellectual property protection is the foundation for strengthening the national creative economy. The government also encourages public participation to provide input on the Copyright Bill so that the resulting regulations are relevant to technological developments and the needs of creative actors.