DJKI Drafts a Single Ministerial Rule for Copyright and Communal IP Services
Photo: Firman Marek_Brew / Pexels
Indonesia's Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DJKI) is drafting a new Minister of Law Regulation (Rancangan Peraturan Menteri Hukum, RPermenkum) that would bring copyright services and communal intellectual property (KIK) services together under a single set of rules.
What the draft is meant to do
Director General of IP Hermansyah Siregar told Hukumonline, in a report published on 30 October 2026, that the draft is intended to simplify how copyright and communal IP services are governed. At the moment these services are spread across several separate ministerial regulations. The draft forms part of the Ministry of Law's wider effort to reorganise and streamline regulations so that services are more effective and efficient.
Hukumonline's headline points to two practical aims: fewer licensing steps for collective management organisations (lembaga manajemen kolektif, LMK) and better integration of communal IP data. The public part of the report does not give further detail on either point.
Communal IP in brief
DJKI lists four categories of communal IP: traditional cultural expressions, traditional knowledge, potential geographical indications and genetic resources. It is governed mainly by Government Regulation No. 56 of 2022. Unlike copyright, communal IP is held on behalf of communities, and DJKI keeps an inventory of it. Gamelan music, batik motifs, regional dances and traditional medicine are typical examples.
Bringing copyright and communal IP services under one regulation could make it easier to cross-check new copyright recordings against the communal IP inventory, which matters when a modern work borrows from a traditional source.
How it fits with DJKI's other copyright work
The draft sits alongside a separate DJKI project on royalty governance. In September 2026 DJKI said it was still developing a ministerial regulation on royalty governance in copyright. That project covers digital systems for LMKs and the national collective management body LMKN linked to DJKI's data centre, resale rights, and questions raised by AI. DJKI said it wanted to finish that work by early in the first half of 2027.
The Ministry is also running a deregulation programme that consolidates several ministerial regulations into fewer, simpler instruments. The new services regulation appears to be one result of that programme.
Why it matters
For creators, LMKs and businesses that license music and other works in Indonesia, the number of separate rules has been a source of confusion. One regulation for services would make the system easier to follow. For communities that hold traditional knowledge and cultural expressions, better data integration could strengthen protection against misappropriation.
What happens next
No draft text, consultation date or target date for enactment has been published. Stakeholders should watch DJKI's channels for a public consultation.
Sources
Do you or your clients need trademark, patent, annuity or industrial design work in Indonesia? We handle filings, prosecution and renewals, with updates in English. Email us for a quote.
Contact UsIf you enjoyed this article on our portal, you can buy me a coffee via the PayPal link below.
PayPal
