The Department of Business Law of the Faculty of Law, UGM, together with the Master of Business and State Law (MHBK) Study Program, and the Center for Intellectual Property, Competition, and Dispute Settlement Mechanism Studies (CICODS), held a National Seminar entitled “Unraveling the Problems of Copyright Protection: Royalties and the Role of Collective Management Organizations.”
This seminar was held on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at the Auditorium of Building B, Faculty of Law, UGM, with speakers from various fields. The seminar was presented by Prof. Dr. Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, S.H., M.Hum. (Deputy Minister of Law, Ministry of Law of the Republic of Indonesia), Agung Damarsasongko, S.H., M.H. (Director of Copyright and Industrial Design, DJKI), Prof. David Price (Charles Darwin University, Australia), Prof. M. Hawin, S.H., LL.M., Ph.D. (Professor at the Faculty of Law, Gadjah Mada University), Once Mekel, S.H. (musician and legislator), and moderated by Laurensia Andrini, S.H., LL.M., Ph.D.
During the seminar, Prof. Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej emphasized the government's commitment to protecting the economic rights of creators by focusing on tariff schemes, legal awareness, transparency, and the use of digital technology. Agung Damarsasongko emphasized the central role of LMKN and LMK, even though there are still transparency gaps that need to be addressed through technology. From an international perspective, Prof. David Price presented practices in Australia where royalties are managed by collecting societies and disputes are resolved through the Copyright Tribunal, while highlighting new challenges arising from the development of digital technology. Meanwhile, Prof. M. Hawin encouraged regulatory amendments to accommodate the principle of fair use and proposed that synchronization licenses be handed over directly to rights holders. From a practitioner's perspective, Once Mekel emphasized the importance of fair contracts for musicians, given the complexity of interests in the music industry.
The seminar session closed with an interactive question and answer discussion, followed by the handover of mementos to the speakers by the Head of the MHBK Study Program, Irna Nurhayati, S.H., M.Hum., LL.M., Ph.D., together with the Head of CICODS, Herliana, S.H., M.CommLaw., Ph.D.
This national seminar is also closely aligned with the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Discussions on copyright protection and royalty distribution mechanisms contribute to the achievement of SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, by ensuring that creators receive fair economic rights for their works, thereby fostering sustainable growth in the creative industry. In addition, the legal education aspects addressed in this forum are in line with SDG 4: Quality Education, as it provides comprehensive insights to academics, practitioners, and the public regarding copyright in the digital era. Furthermore, the involvement of multiple sectors—ranging from government, academia, legal practitioners, to musicians—embodies SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, which emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in strengthening legal protection systems and building an inclusive and transparent creative industry ecosystem.
Author: Aika Fatiha Azhar and Nabiel Harits Pratama (Business Law Department)
