Culture Ministry partners with Indonesia to curb K-content piracy

The government signed a partnership with Indonesia's Directorate General of Intellectual Property to curb the illegal piracy of Korean content in the two countries.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Indonesia's Directorate General of Intellectual Property pose for a photo after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to form a cooperative network for international investigations into the illegal distribution of K-content on Tuesday in central Seoul. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

The government signed a partnership with Indonesia's Directorate General of Intellectual Property to curb the illegal piracy of Korean content in the two countries. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Tuesday in central Seoul to form a cooperative network with Indonesia for international investigations into the illegal distribution of Korean content, also known as K-content.

The Directorate General of Intellectual Property is a key governmental agency under Indonesia's Ministry of Law and Human Rights. It is responsible for enforcing laws related to copyright, patents, trademarks and industrial designs in Indonesia.

Last October, the Culture Ministry, Interpol and the Indonesian copyright agency caught an illegal IPTV service that had been operating since 2010. The Culture Ministry and Indonesia’s Patent Office will also collaborate on joint law enforcement operations against copyright infringement, exchange information on copyright crimes and investigations and share policies on copyright protection systems and awareness-raising activities, according to the ministry.

This partnership follows the rise in illegal distribution of K-content driven by its growing global popularity, including movies, dramas, and entertainment TV shows. The advancement of digital technology has introduced more sophisticated methods of content infringement, making it increasingly challenging to track and combat these crimes, the Culture Ministry said.

The ministry held the "2024 International Cooperation Meeting for Copyright Protection" with the Korea Copyright Protection Agency in June to discuss various issues regarding the investigation of K-content copyright infringement.

The Culture Ministry also began a five-month surveillance operation in collaboration with the police and Interpol to crack down on online piracy infringing on Korean content creators’ copyrights.

“We expect to effectively curb copyright crimes against K-content by establishing a close international cooperative investigation system with Indonesia, one of the major consumers of K-content,” said Jung Hyang-mi, director-general of the ministry’s Regional Culture Policy Bureau.

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]