How Indonesia's copyright overhaul could impact Google and others
17 Jul 2026

Indonesia is planning to introduce major changes to its copyright law, a move that could have far-reaching implications for tech giants like Google.

The proposed legislation would give copyright protection to human-assisted AI-generated works, but not fully machine-generated ones.

This makes Indonesia the first Southeast Asian nation to consider such a move amid global debates over how AI affects copyright laws and human-created content training.

AI disclosures and compensation to publishers
Bill provisions

The draft bill also includes provisions for AI disclosures and compensation to publishers for news content used in AI training.

It prohibits using AI to replicate a creator's "distinctive style" and mandates disclosure of its use in content creation.

Tech platforms would have to compensate state-supervised collective management organizations for aggregating, republishing or link-previewing news content as well as using it for AI training purposes.

Proposed legislation excludes fully machine-generated works
Content coverage

The proposed legislation would cover a wide range of content, from video games and photography to computer programs, journalism, and films.

AI-assisted works would only be eligible for copyright protection if they meet certain human involvement criteria. However, fully machine-generated works would be excluded from this protection under the current draft.

The bill also addresses the use of copyrighted works for training AI models by fair-use provisions or licensing agreements.

Concerns raised by tech giants
Industry response

Tech giants, including Google, have expressed concerns over the proposed copyright overhaul.

Google warned that "rigid, overbroad mandates" could harm local creators and slow innovation.

The company said it would work with the government on the bill and also commented on its potential impact.

Meta and TikTok have yet to respond to requests for comment on these proposals.

Global trends in AI and copyright issues
International alignment

Indonesia's proposed AI disclosure requirements are in line with transparency rules being adopted globally.

The European Union AI Act mandates companies to clearly label where AI has been used to create or modify content "constituting a deepfake."

While the US and Singapore do not explicitly mention AI in their copyright laws, their copyright offices have indicated that protection requires human contribution.