Indonesia advocates for fair digital music royalties in AWGIPC
Badung, Bali (ANTARA) - Indonesia is advocating for fair digital-era music royalties for the Southeast Asian region at the 78th ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) meeting held from 6-10 April 2026 in Legian, Badung Regency, Bali, on Monday.
Director General of Intellectual Property at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Hermansyah Siregar, stated in his opening remarks that as the host, Indonesia is utilising this strategic forum to promote more equitable and sustainable intellectual property governance amid the rapid digital transformation.
According to him, the issue of digital royalty fairness is a common challenge for developing countries, including those in the ASEAN region, which requires collective solutions.
This forms the background for Indonesia’s proposal of a Legally Binding Instrument on the Governance of Copyright Royalty in the Digital Environment, or the Indonesia Proposal.
“By taking on the role of Strategic Initiatives in support of the 2030 ASEAN Intellectual Property Action Plan, Indonesia is submitting a strategic proposal to improve the welfare of intellectual property (IP) owners, particularly copyright holders. This aligns with joint efforts to advance the regional economy,” he said.
“This issue is becoming increasingly complex due to the suboptimal global royalty distribution systems,” he added.
Hermansyah stated that digital transformation generates significant value but also gives rise to problems such as lack of transparency, metadata fragmentation, and disproportionate remuneration, especially for creators from developing countries.
“So, we want an instrument related to this governance that is not only private in nature, but also includes principles regulated by WIPO, similar to other royalties,” he said.
According to him, the Indonesia Proposal aims to strengthen fairness, transparency, and accountability in the increasingly complex global royalty ecosystem.
“Royalty governance must be based on transparency and reliable data, capable of adapting to innovations including artificial intelligence, and driven through appropriate international forums,” he said.
In the regional context, he added, Indonesia is also encouraging ASEAN to take a more active role in shaping global standards related to digital royalty governance.
“This effort is carried out through strengthening cooperation and dialogue among member countries. Creativity is global, and the digital market is also global, so royalty governance must move towards more equitable global cooperation,” said Hermansyah.