Government Adopts Elvis Act for Revision of Copyright Law on AI

The Government and Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR) are currently deliberating revisions to Law No. 28 of 2014 on Copyright (“ Law 28/2014 ”), following public controversy over royalty payments for music played in public spaces. Agung Damarsasongko, Director of Copyright and Industrial Design at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, stated that the government plans to adopt several provisions implemented in other countries, such as the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act (“ Elvis Act ”).

“We plan to adopt a number of provisions, one of which is the Elvis Act from the state of Tennessee, United States, which is considered suitable for implementation. This law is designed to protect the rights of artists and individuals from the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) technology,” Agung told Hukumonline.

The Copyright Law has been slated for revision to address the full range of controversies surrounding royalty payments, including efforts to improve the structure and function of the Collective Management Institution (Lembaga Manajemen Kolektif– “ LMK ”) in the collection of royalties in Indonesia. The revision is targeted for completion within two months.

“At the moment, we are observing a ceasefire with various associations and musicians, agreeing not to raise further disputes over royalties until the draft law is finalized — so we ask for patience,” he concluded.