Indonesia Pushes for Greater Transparency in Cross-Border Copyright Royalties
BALI, INDONESIA, Oct 7, 2026 - (ACN Newswire) - The development of the digital economy has changed the way creative works are used and generate revenue. However, royalty management systems have not yet fully kept pace with the increasingly cross-border use of creative works.
"Through the Global Dialogue on Cross-Border Copyright Royalty Governance in the Digital Era, we seek to encourage the establishment of common rules and systems so that copyright royalties, which are increasingly flowing across national borders, can be recorded, calculated, and distributed in a more transparent, accountable, and fair manner," said Indonesian Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas after opening the Global Dialogue on Cross-Border Copyright Royalty Governance in the Digital Era at The Patra Hotel Bali on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
The dialogue, initiated by the Government of Indonesia through the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP), is being held from October 7 to 9, 2026. More than 28 countries are actively involved in the forum, which brings together member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), two intergovernmental organizations, five collective management organizations, industry experts, creators, and other stakeholders.
"When creative works can be enjoyed in different countries through digital platforms, royalty governance must also be able to keep pace with these developments. Transparency, accountability, and interconnected systems are needed to ensure that the economic rights of creators are protected," he said.
According to Supratman, cross-border royalty issues are not solely related to copyright rules, but also to coordination among institutions and the connectivity of information systems. Indonesia is therefore encouraging international dialogue to bring together the experiences and practices of different countries without disregarding their respective national legal frameworks.
"This forum provides a space to build a common understanding and explore practical cooperation. The goal is to ensure that creators and rights holders receive economic benefits more fairly from the use of their works in the digital environment," he explained.
Director General of Intellectual Property at the Ministry of Law Hermansyah Siregar said that cross-border royalty issues are more closely related to informationexchange than to copyright law. Incomplete ownership data and metadata, as well as differences between systems, can make it difficult to match the use of works with their rights holders.
"Friction in cross-border royalties is rarely a dispute over copyright law. The main challenge is the exchange of information," Hermansyah said.
According to Hermansyah, these issues can arise from the registration of works and reporting of usage to the metadata-matching process that connects usage reportswith rights holders. When identifiers for works are unavailable, the calculation, distribution, and reconciliation of royalties become increasingly complex.
Data from the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) show that royalty collections by creators' rights management organizations worldwide reached EUR13.97 billion, or approximately Rp278 trillion, in 2024. Of this amount, EUR5.14 billion, or approximately Rp103.16 trillion, representing around 37 percent, came from digital use. However, these collections remain concentrated in Europe and North America.
The dialogue discusses three main issues: transparency, accountability, and system interoperability. Transparency relates to the information received by rights holders, accountability concerns responsibility at every stage of royalty management, while interoperability relates to the ability of different systems to exchange information reliably.
At the international level, WIPO has also been promoting good governance in collective management through publications and technical assistance, including good-practice guidance for collective management organizations and the TAG of Excellence initiative on transparency, accountability, and governance. These efforts are expected to be developed together with stakeholders by applying professional rules and governance standards for member organizations.
In Indonesia, the copyright framework is governed by Law No. 28 of 2014 on Copyright. The law also provides a national framework for collective management. In addition, Government Regulation No. 56 of 2021 on the Management of Copyright Royalties for Songs and/or Music regulates the framework for the collection and distribution of royalties.
The regulation provides for a song and music database managed by the Directorate General of Intellectual Property, as well as the Sistem Informasi Lagu dan/atau Musik (SILM), to support the registration of works, usage data, and royalty distribution.
According to Hermansyah, system connectivity is key to ensuring that royalties can flow from the use of works to rights holders. Indonesia is also developing the Pusat Data Lagu dan Musik (PDLM) and information systems to establish connectivity with global royalty systems.
"Interoperability only requires systems that can communicate reliably. At present, many emerging markets lack the IT infrastructure needed to process large volumes of digital data," he said.
Indonesia has previously presented an initiative on royalty governance, known as the Indonesian Proposal, at WIPO's Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR). Discussions on the proposal will continue at the SCCR, while the Global Dialogue in Bali serves as a platform for exchanging experiences and identifying practical solutions that can be developed on a voluntary basis.
"Technology has democratized the distribution of musical works. Our task now is to ensure that our governance structures democratize remuneration for those works," Hermansyah concluded.
--Antara
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