Minister Assures Balanced Copyright Regulation for All Ecosystems, Including Digital Platforms
Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas has guaranteed that copyright regulations will be drafted in a balanced manner for all ecosystems, including the digital sphere, particularly for platforms and publishers.
The affirmation was conveyed by the Minister of Law during a dialogue with Google representatives who provided input regarding the development of copyright regulations in Indonesia, in Jakarta, Wednesday (22/7).
“I guarantee 100 per cent that the Indonesian government will create balanced regulations for all ecosystems. I give a 100 per cent guarantee,” said Supratman as confirmed in Jakarta, Wednesday.
Supratman stated there is no fundamental difference between the government’s objectives and the steps Google has developed. He said features that provide choices to publishers are actually in line with the direction of the regulations being prepared by the government.
The Minister of Law also ensured the government will continue to respect all existing cooperation contracts between platforms and publishers. He also stressed the government will not sacrifice either platforms or publishers, but will deliver regulations that uphold the principles of justice and transparency for the entire copyright ecosystem.
“We will honour (the cooperation) until the contract ends. We will not suddenly change the contract and force it to end because the Indonesian government respects contracts,” he said.
On that occasion, Google’s Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Markham Erickson, conveyed that Google supports the development of copyright regulations that provide a balance between the interests of users, publishers, and platforms. He stated his party has also provided various features so that publishers have full control over the utilisation of their content on Google’s services.
“Do not rush to issue regulations. We are ready to provide feedback and input to the Indonesian government to find a balanced framework,” said Markham.
Markham assessed the development of copyright in Indonesia from various aspects. Firstly, regulations related to copyright must be balanced. He also observed that users must have choices to access as much information as possible.
Meanwhile, he said publishers must have control to see how the industry will develop. Additionally, he said platforms like Google must be able to provide support to continue innovating with the existing regulations in Indonesia.
Markham further explained that Google has already established 30 commercial deals and sees that the business-to-business (B2B) mechanism between business actors is beginning to work. He expressed hope that this business model development can continue to grow so that more deals can be made with publishers in Indonesia in the future.