BADUNG, DEWATA.NEWS – Indonesia used the 1st ASEAN Collective Management Organization (CMO) Forum 2026 in Kuta, Bali, to push for a more transparent and equitable global royalty system for creative workers.
The forum, held on Friday, brought together collective management organizations from across Southeast Asia to address growing challenges in digital royalty governance.
Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas stressed that rapid growth in digital platforms has not been matched by fair compensation systems for creators.
“Our goal is to ensure this global system becomes fairer, protects creators from ‘royalty black box’ practices, and guarantees that every rights holder receives proper remuneration,” he said.
He noted that while music consumption continues to increase globally, royalty distribution systems often fail to accurately track and compensate creators.
“High consumption levels do not always translate into accurate royalty distribution,” he added.
Indonesia highlighted that digital royalty challenges are inherently cross-border, requiring coordinated regional solutions rather than isolated national policies.
As part of its initiative, Indonesia is proposing a strategic framework titled Elements for a Possible International Instrument on the Governance of Copyright Royalty in the Digital Environment, which will be submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) at the upcoming Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) session.
The proposal aims to improve transparency, reduce revenue leakage, and address inefficiencies caused by fragmented copyright metadata systems.
Director General of Intellectual Property Hermansyah Siregar said that music exploitation now occurs simultaneously across multiple jurisdictions in real time, yet royalty systems have not fully adapted.
“This often leads to gaps in royalty distribution, affecting the economic rights of creators,” he explained.
Key issues identified include uneven technological infrastructure, fragmented data systems, and weak bargaining power of CMOs when dealing with global digital platforms.
Through the forum, Indonesia is encouraging ASEAN countries to harmonize metadata standards, strengthen institutional collaboration, and develop an integrated regional digital royalty system.
The event was attended by representatives from CMOs across ASEAN, Indonesian collective management organizations, and international bodies including the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC).
Indonesia also proposed making the forum an annual event with a rotating leadership mechanism to ensure continuity and strengthen regional cooperation in digital royalty governance.