Government targets completion of Copyright Bill this year

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Law, Supratman Andi Agtas, stated that the government is targeting the completion of the Draft Bill (RUU) on the Amendment to Law No. 28 of 2014 on Copyright this year.

“We target that the Copyright Law must be completed this year,” said Supratman in response to ANTARA after a discussion on the legal protection of journalistic works at the Press Council office in Jakarta on Thursday.

According to him, issues related to copyright must be reorganised promptly. “There are too many organisations regarding CMOs (collective management organisations); all of that must be regulated and reorganised,” he said.

In the discussion, the Minister of Law acknowledged that protection for journalistic works is needed, especially in the current digital disruption era. He guaranteed that journalistic works will be protected in the Copyright Bill.

He admitted to having communicated and gathered opinions from various press groups. However, he said his side would invite press associations for further discussions to formulate norms for protecting journalistic works.

Regarding the formulation of norms in the future Copyright Bill, Supratman said further discussions are still needed. Regardless, he emphasised that the government has a duty to protect intellectual property rights.

On the other hand, Supratman also supports the development of discussions on the draft Copyright Bill in the DPR RI’s Legislation Body (Baleg), which has recognised journalistic works as creative works entitled to copyright protection.

According to him, this protection is not merely about journalistic works but also the people involved in the industry. He stressed that the national press industry must not die.

“If this industry dies, it will become a problem for us. So, how to prevent it from dying: journalistic works must be commercialised, have commercial value, and that must be maximised. That’s what we’re helping with,” he said.

Besides that, he said the Copyright Bill does not only concern journalistic works. “But it’s related to music, related to others, everything,” he said, emphasising the need for in-depth discussions with other relevant parties.

The 16th Plenary Session of the DPR RI for the IV Session Period of the 2025–2026 Session Year on Thursday (12/3) approved the Copyright Bill as a DPR initiative proposal.