Law Minister proposes to Ministry of Finance to waive copyright registration fees for books
The Minister of Law, Supratman Andi Agtas, has stated that he has proposed to the Ministry of Finance that registration fees for book and fine arts copyrights be made free of charge. He noted that this move is an effort to expand the policy of zero-cost copyright recording to other types of creations, following the implementation in the music and song sectors.
“The Minister is authorised to propose such measures,” Supratman said in Jakarta on Friday. However, he emphasised that all forms of intellectual property protection currently involve costs, with the exception of music and song copyright registration. He explained that all collections of Non-Tax State Revenue (PNBP) serve a single purpose: to maintain the technological and information systems for intellectual property protection so they can function effectively for the public. “This is part of the President’s Astacita programme,” he added.
Previously, the Director General of Intellectual Property at the Ministry of Law, Hermansyah Siregar, explained that the music sector was chosen as the initial phase for fee waivers because the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DJKI) is currently building an independent Song and Music Data Centre (PDLM). As of now, approximately 26,000 songs are registered, and the government aims to encourage more creators to register their works. “The zero-rupiah policy for song copyright registration has a specific background; it is a pilot project as we have just built the PDLM, which will eventually accommodate 7 million songs,” Hermansyah said during the ‘Pasti Ada Solusi’ event in Jakarta on Friday.
If this step proves successful, he added, the same policy could be applied to the registration of literary and fine arts works. Hermansyah explained that under Government Regulation (PP) Number 30 of 2026 regarding the Types and Tariffs of Non-Tax State Revenue applicable to the Ministry of Law, Article 6, such a possibility is open, as tariff provisions can be regulated via Ministerial Regulations. However, he noted that stakeholders in the literacy and fine arts sectors are still in the process of building their ecosystems, including necessary elements such as Collective Management Organisations (LMK) and governance guidelines. The DJKI encourages creators across all creative economy sectors to register their intellectual works. Free copyright registration for music and songs will be available from 1 August 2026 via hakcipta.dgip.go.id.