Copyright Law Law Law Law Law Law Law, Court Session Becomes Karaoke Space

Screenshot - Lesti Kejora (left) and Sammy Simorangkir (right) in the Courtroom of the Constitutional Court, Jakarta, Tuesday (22/7/2025). BETWEEN/Fath Putra Mulya

JAKARTA - The Plenary Courtroom of the Constitutional Court (MK) immediately turned into a karaoke room during the follow-up trial of judicial review of Law Number 28 of 2014 concerning Copyright.

Famous singers Lestiani or Lesti Kejora and Hendra Samuel "Smenyak" Simorangkir sang their songs when asked by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) Suhartoyo on the sidelines of a trial in Jakarta, Tuesday, July 22.

Lesti Kejora and Sammy Simorangkir were presented as witnesses by the applicants for Case Number 28/PUU-XXIII/2025. This case was filed by musician Tubagus Arman Maulana (Armand Maulana), Nazril Irham (Ariel NOAH), and 27 other well-known musicians.

"Lesti has her own song?" asked Suhartoyo at first, confiscated by Antara.

"Yes, sir," said Lesti.

Suhartoyo as the chairman of the trial also joked by asking Lesti to sing her own song instead of other people's songs because the main case in the review of the Copyright Law was about copyright payments in the show industry.

"What kind of song did he make? Let us hear. If other songs are not sung because they are being disputed, right. If you create yourself, you can. Just try one verse," said Suhartoyo.

Lesti then sang her song entitled "Angin".

"Wind, tell him, how long this hurts. It's really quiet at night, making friends it's quiet and sad," Lesti said.

Then, Suhartoyo also asked Sammy Simorangkir to sing his own song.

"As for Sammy, who was created by himself, when in Kerispatih there was a good song, but that was made by Sammy himself, lo," Suhartoyo told the former vocalist of the top band, Kerispatih, that.

"Incidentally, in Kerispatih I created several songs, but with the guitarist. But, indeed at that time we chose the decision so that there was no potential to argue with each other, we chose the song that was shown in the band, namely Badai," said Sammy.

Suhartoyo also asked whether or not Sammy had ever been questioned by fellow performers while singing the song Kerispatih.

"I feel like I've never been questioned because I know very well, I really know, this is my former colleague, Hurricane, this is his heart or not," said Sammy.

"Yes, it's been sung first. Which one is the song? The neutral one, yes," Suhartoyo said to laughter from other constitutional judges.

"I forgot the song again because it's been a long time, Your Majesty," said Sammy with a laugh.

Not long after, Sammy sang the popular song Kerispatih entitled "If Rasaku Is Your Feeling".

"If I feel like this is how you can, can you endure the pain, it is betrayed by the love you maintain. Try to imagine again, how devastated this heart is, love, everything has happened," said Sammy.

Case Number 28 was requested by 29 well-known Indonesian musicians, including Armand Maulana, Ariel NOAH, Nadin Amizah, Bernadya, Bunga Citra Lestari, and Rossa. They give power to advocates who are members of the One Vision Movement.

Armand Maulana et al. submitted this test because it departed from several cases, including Agnez Mo's experience which was sued by songwriter Bilang Saja, Ari Bias.

Agnez Mo is considered not to have asked for permission directly and did not pay royalties to Ari Bias.

The panel of judges at the Commercial Court at the Central Jakarta District Court granted the lawsuit by punishing Agnez Mo for paying compensation of Rp. 1.5 billion to Ari Bias.

Not only that, Agnez Mo was also reported to the police for being accused of violating the criminal provisions in Article 113 paragraph (2) of the Copyright Law.

Armand Maulana et al. argued that a number of articles in the Copyright Law did not provide legal certainty.

For this reason, in their petition, they asked the Constitutional Court to revoke the validity of Article 113 paragraph (2) letter f of the Copyright Law, and provide new meanings for Article 9 paragraph (3), Article 23 paragraph (5), Article 81, and Article 87 paragraph (1) of the Copyright Law.