Fadli Zon Warns of the Risk of Cultural Claims, 1,820 Communal Intellectual Property Filed

Fadli Zon mengingatkan kekayaan budaya Indonesia tidak cukup hanya dicatat dan dipamerkan. (IST)

JAKARTA - Minister of Culture Fadli Zon reminded that the richness of Indonesian culture is not enough to be recorded and displayed. This wealth must be protected, developed, and can provide economic benefits for the people who own it.

This was conveyed by Fadli at the 2026 Indonesian National Intellectual Property Coordination Forum in Jakarta, Wednesday, August 5.

Fadli said that the ecosystem of culture-based intellectual property needs to be strengthened, ranging from protection, development, utilization, to commercialization.

According to Fadli, culture is not only a national identity, but also a capital for development that can improve people's welfare.

"Our cultural wealth is a mega diversity. So the word diversity alone is no longer enough to accommodate the richness and diversity of our culture," said Fadli.

He said Indonesia has 1,340 ethnic groups, 718 languages, and various local knowledge, customs, traditions, arts, manuscripts, traditional technology, and cultural expressions that live in the archipelago.

This wealth is also reflected in the registration of the Indonesian Intangible Cultural Heritage or WBTbI which now reaches 2,727 intangible cultural heritage. About 20 percent of them are local foods and culinary.

Fadli said that the ten objects of cultural development in Law Number 5 of 2017 became the main source of the birth of various Indonesian intellectual property.

The objects include oral traditions, manuscripts, customs, rituals, traditional knowledge, traditional technology, art, language, folk games, and traditional sports.

"The source is our culture, such as batik motifs, weaving, carving, kris, wayang, traditional music, dance, Nusantara cuisine, herbal medicine, traditional architecture, to contemporary cultural works that are rooted in the wealth of culture that is passed down across generations," said Fadli.

Therefore, the Ministry of Culture encourages that cultural development objects do not stop as documented heritage. Fadli said that culture must remain alive, studied, utilized, developed, and passed on.

He also assessed that intellectual property based on culture is closely related to the creative economy. Cultural assets, said Fadli, need to be developed into economic assets without losing their value and meaning.

"We hope that this cultural economy and creative economy can turn cultural assets into economic assets without losing value and meaning, and not seeing culture as a cost center, but as an engine of growth," said Fadli.

Fadli admitted that there were still major challenges. Many cultural actors, communities, local governments, and stakeholders have not understood the importance of intellectual property protection to protect the moral rights and economic rights of creators and owners of cultural knowledge.

Gaps are also still visible between the cultural wealth that has been documented and the intellectual property that has legal protection.

Fadli said the Ministry of Culture had submitted around 1,820 communal intellectual property to the Ministry of Law. However, this number is still far from the potential of Indonesian culture.

He also reminded of the threat of biopiracy and cultural appropriation. Traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, and Indonesia's communal intellectual property are at risk of being claimed, patented, or exploited by others without consent and fair benefit sharing.

To strengthen protection, the Ministry of Culture has prepared four main programs. The program includes socialization, assistance for recording and registration, legal advocacy for cultural communities and indigenous peoples, and expanded access through the Intellectual Property Action Title and the Intellectual Property Action Gallery digital platform.

In 2026, the Ministry of Culture targets 200 copyright registrations and 150 trademark registrations. The Ministry is also accelerating the integration of Indonesian cultural heritage into the Communal Intellectual Property Data Center.

Fadli said that strengthening intellectual property would also target cultural reserves, museums, artifacts, and cultural collections. The potential includes sites such as Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple, Muara Jambi, as well as various museum collections.

The Indonesian National Intellectual Property Coordination Forum 2026 took place on August 4-5. This forum is a coordination space across ministries and agencies to strengthen the protection, development, and utilization of Indonesian intellectual property.