Ministry of Law References UK's Single-Window Royalty System for Copyright Law Revision
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DJKI) of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights is referencing the single-window royalty collection system in the UK to perfect royalty governance in the revision of the Copyright Law.
DJKI Director General Hermansyah Siregar, in a statement received in Jakarta on Sunday, said the revision of the Copyright Law is being undertaken to make it more adaptive to digital disruptions and to strengthen royalty governance.
“We want to ensure that royalty governance in Indonesia becomes simpler, more transparent, and supportive of creators. Seeking best practices is one of the strategic steps to achieve that goal,” he stated.
DJKI of the Ministry of Law has delved into the UK’s single-window royalty system during a bilateral meeting with Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) and Performing Rights Society (PRS) for Music in London on Friday (8/5/2026).
From the discussions, DJKI assesses that the single-window royalty model applied in the UK can reduce administrative burdens while facilitating commercial music users in making royalty payments.
Hermansyah explained that in the UK, since 26 February 2018, PPL and PRS have formed a joint venture named PPL PRS Ltd to eliminate duplicate bureaucracy in music royalty collection.
Previously, music users in that country had to deal with two separate licences and two bills. However, with this transformation, all processes are now unified through a single licence called The Music Licence.
Through this system, businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and offices only need one contract and one bill. Users no longer need to understand the differences between copyright and related rights when making payments, as the internal system automatically allocates the tariff portions.
The old concept was seen to cause user fatigue due to the multitude of royalty payment schemes. Simplifying the licensing is believed to be key to increasing user compliance as well as national music sector revenue.
“This single-window system provides convenience for users without reducing protection for rights holders. It becomes an important reference for us in managing fair and transparent royalties,” said Hermansyah.
Nevertheless, PPL and PRS continue to manage legally distinct rights clusters. PPL handles related rights for record producers and performers, while PRS manages copyrights for songwriters, composers, and publishers.
This separation is deemed essential to ensure there is no overlap in the represented rights subjects. Thus, legal protection remains intact, and administrative processes become more efficient.
Legally, Hermansyah continued, PPL PRS Ltd only functions as a combined collection and administration body.
They determine their respective tariff schemes independently to avoid violations of competition law. However, they remain united in the royalty collection process.
The unification of sales teams, customer service, bookkeeping, and enforcement has succeeded in significantly reducing operational costs. This efficiency also impacts the increase in net income that can be distributed to rights holders.
Therefore, DJKI of the Ministry of Law states that this single-window royalty collection model will be an important input in the revision of the Copyright Law to enhance payment compliance and economic rights protection for creators.