Indonesia’s Copyright Rewrite Puts AI and Royalties in One Debate

Indonesia is refining a copyright bill that would put artificial-intelligence training, AI-assisted creative works, digital-platform responsibilities and royalty management into the same legal debate.

The latest step was a July 28, 2026, meeting in Jakarta between Deputy Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Nezar Patria and James Cheatley, the Motion Picture Association’s Asia-Pacific representative. ANTARA reported on July 30 that the discussion addressed how to support technology development while protecting the economic rights and legal certainty of creators, including filmmakers and musicians.

The proposal remains under discussion. It has not been enacted, and its timing, final wording and enforcement rules remain unsettled.

What the draft is examining

Indonesian officials are considering how copyrighted films, music, literature and other creative works may be used as training data for AI systems. The consultation also covers digital-platform responsibilities and how the law should treat works made with AI assistance.

ANTARA’s report confirms the consultation and the policy goals, but not every provision described in draft reporting. A Reuters report published by The Jakarta Post said a draft under review could recognize some AI-assisted works when there is meaningful human involvement. It also described possible requirements to disclose AI use and protections against imitation of a creator’s distinctive style.

The same draft reporting described possible compensation for selected uses of copyrighted material, including aggregation, republication, link previews and AI training. It also reported that platforms could face sanctions for noncompliance. Those measures are proposed provisions, not current legal requirements, and their scope could change during negotiations.

Royalty reforms are part of the package

Indonesia’s House of Representatives, known as the DPR, made the copyright bill a DPR initiative on March 12, 2026. The parliamentary proposal included stronger rules for collective-management organizations and a royalty endowment fund.

The DPR record says the proposed fund would support social programs, creator capacity-building and the royalty-management ecosystem, while collective-management organizations would continue to collect and distribute royalties and would face reporting and cooperation requirements. The proposal also addresses definitions of creative works and criteria for works made with or without AI assistance.

That March decision was a step in the legislative process, not final enactment. It does not by itself create new duties for creators, platforms or technology companies.

Why film and music are central

Film and music are central because their industries depend on identifiable authorship, licensing and royalty collection. Producers, performers, composers, publishers and platforms face practical questions about whether works can be used to develop AI systems, how that use should be disclosed and who should be compensated.

UNESCO’s Digital Creativity Lab II consultation program, running from June through September 2026, covers music, film, literature, performing arts and visual arts as part of a broader process examining revisions to Indonesia’s 2014 copyright law. The program provides a forum for stakeholder input; it does not endorse a specific final legislative text.

Why the debate matters beyond Indonesia

Indonesia’s process reflects disputes facing creative industries and technology companies in many countries: what counts as meaningful human authorship, when AI training requires permission, how disclosure should work, whether distinctive styles receive protection and how digital royalties should be distributed.

Those questions have cross-border consequences because AI-training systems, streaming services, social platforms and digital publishing markets operate across national boundaries. The eventual Indonesian rules could affect licensing, labeling, platform reporting and compensation for companies and creators working in or with the country, but those consequences cannot yet be stated with certainty.

What happens next

The next meaningful markers will be revised legislative text, further stakeholder consultations, parliamentary deliberation and a final decision by the government and DPR. Until those steps are complete, creators and platforms should treat the bill as a developing policy framework rather than as law.

For filmmakers, musicians, publishers, journalists, technology companies and digital creators, the practical task is to watch for the enacted text and any implementing regulations. Those documents will determine whether the proposed human-contribution test, disclosure rules, platform duties, compensation mechanisms and royalty reforms become enforceable—and how broadly they apply.

Sources

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