Agnez Mo Fined Rp 1.5 Billion Related to Copyright Violation of the Song 'Bilang Saja'

Kapanlagi.com - Singer Agnez Mo must pay a fine of Rp1.5 billion after being found guilty of violating the copyright of the song Bilang Saja owned by Ari Bias. This decision was made by the Central Jakarta District Court after a lengthy legal process.

This case began when Ari Bias, the creator of the song Bilang Saja, sued Agnez Mo for performing his song without permission at three different concerts. The concerts were held on May 25, 2023, at HW Superclubs Surabaya, May 26, 2023, at H-Club Jakarta, and May 27, 2023, at HW Superclub Bandung.

Each violation incurred a fine of Rp500 million, bringing the total to Rp1.5 billion. Ari Bias's legal counsel, Minola Sebayang, explained that this decision refers to Article 113 of the Copyright Law.

"The essence is to state that the defendant has committed a copyright infringement by commercially using the plaintiff's song Bilang Saja at three concerts without the plaintiff's permission," said Minola Sebayang when met in the Fatmawati area, South Jakarta, on Monday (3/2/2025).

"Punishing the defendant for using the plaintiff's song commercially without permission in the amount of Rp 1.5 billion," he added.

1. In Accordance with Applicable Legal Provisions

According to Minola, many parties question the basis for the fine of Rp500 million per violation. He emphasizes that this amount is in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.

"It has gone through the trial process in the DPR by the lawmakers and is considered that each time a violation occurs, the violator should indeed be fined 500 million." he said.

This court decision also emphasizes that the responsibility for the use of song licenses lies with the singer, not the event organizer (EO).

"So this actually makes it unnecessary to debate again about who should ask for permission, because from this decision it is clear that the one who asks for permission is the singer who uses the song from the creator, not the EO," emphasized Minola.

2. Lessons for Musicians

Minola stated that the judge, in his consideration, emphasized that copyright violations are committed by parties who directly use the work in a performance. This decision serves as a lesson for musicians to be more careful when performing songs that are not their own creations.

"And this is also in line with the Judge's consideration, on page 69 of the 74 pages that I quoted, considering that based on Law number 28 of 2014 regarding creators above, the meaning of the violator of the performance referred to is an individual or several individuals who use the copyrighted work," said Minola.

"So it is clear, EO will not use copyrighted works. EO is merely someone who helps prepare a singer to perform the copyrighted work," concluded Minola.

(kpl/far/ums)