LBH Pers Slams Google Opposition to Copyright Bill

Press Legal Aid Institute Challenges Google’s Copyright Bill Resistance

Tempatdonasi.com – The Legal Aid Institute for the Press, known as LBH Pers, has publicly criticized Google’s position regarding the proposed revision of Indonesia’s Copyright Law. According to the organization, the technology corporation’s rejection does not accurately represent the true substance of the regulatory changes being considered. Rather than acknowledging the actual content of the amendment, the search engine giant has positioned its opposition as a defense of information accessibility, artificial intelligence advancement, and digital economic growth.

Understanding the Core Dispute

LBH Pers emphasizes that journalistic content, including photographs, videos, written articles, and various data formats, regularly functions as foundational material for search engines and news aggregation platforms. These resources are also extensively utilized in training generative artificial intelligence models. Despite this widespread utilization, the financial burden of producing, reporting, verifying, editing, and publishing such content remains entirely with the original creators and media organizations.

The urgency of implementing proper regulation has been highlighted by a significant reduction in digital media traffic across Indonesia. LBH Pers articulated this concern in an official statement released on Monday, July 6, 2026:

The Copyright Law revision is necessary to emphasize that journalistic works are protected creations, and their commercial exploitation must be anchored in permission, transparency, and fair compensation.

Google’s Position and Concerns

Earlier in the timeline, Google expressed reservations about the proposed amendments to the copyright framework. The company warned that these changes could potentially threaten the expansion of Indonesia’s digital ecosystem. In a public declaration dated June 29, Google stated:

The current momentum of digital development is at risk as Indonesia considers changes that will have a broad impact on the Copyright Law.

The technology corporation argued that implementing a rigid and overly expansive mandate would negatively affect local content creators, limit innovation, and weaken Indonesia’s competitive position within the region. Additionally, Google cautioned that the regulation might discourage essential investments needed to advance the nation’s digital future. The company further noted that the proposed revision could create adverse effects for Indonesian consumers, businesses, and content creators simultaneously.

LBH Pers Counterarguments

LBH Pers responded by characterizing Google’s narrative as misleading, arguing that the corporation overlooks how digital platforms systematically utilize journalistic output without obtaining proper consent, maintaining transparency, or establishing equitable compensation mechanisms. Referencing research conducted by the Association of Indonesian Cyber Media (AMSI) and Monash University, LBH Pers highlighted that Indonesia’s five largest news portals experienced approximately a 40 percent reduction in traffic between September 2024 and November 2025.

Furthermore, independent research from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism demonstrated that 80 percent of readers depend completely on AI-generated summaries without ever accessing the original source links in at least 40 percent of search queries.

Five Key Perspectives Outlined

To address these concerns comprehensively, LBH Pers presented five fundamental viewpoints. First, the organization identified that Google benefits economically from content created by third parties. To resolve this imbalance, LBH Pers recommended establishing clear regulations concerning licensing, compensation, and operational transparency.

Second, the amendment to the Copyright Law seeks to regulate the commercial exploitation of creative works rather than limiting public access to information or violating fair use principles. Third, LBH Pers suggested that Google is utilizing a strategic narrative designed to generate public anxiety as a means of avoiding accountability, even though the proposed rules specifically target digital platforms that generate profits from creative works.

Fourth, the legal aid group emphasized that Google must accept responsibility for its artificial intelligence integration by ensuring complete transparency regarding how copyrighted materials are utilized for model training, summarization, and other AI-driven services. Finally, LBH Pers noted that publisher compensation frameworks have already been successfully implemented across multiple countries, indicating that Indonesia is not an exception in developing comparable legislation.

Moving forward, LBH Pers urged Google’s leadership to honor both the moral and economic rights of content creators while providing equitable compensation for utilizing their intellectual property. The organization also requested that Google stop promoting the misconception that copyright protections will hinder information access and technological advancement.

Should Google choose to participate actively in the legislative process concerning the Copyright Law, LBH Pers recommended that the technology firm begin by respecting the very creations that have sustained its business model. This includes platforms such as Google News, Google News Showcase, and Google AI Overviews, as concluded in the LBH Pers statement.