Experts urge artists to rise above communual ownership mentality

Andra Wisnu ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Fri, 10/24/2008 1:35 PM  |  Bali

In light of recent cases involving copyright violations, experts have urged Balinese artisans to rise above their communal ownership mentality and adjust to existing copyright laws to keep up with globalization, a discussion heard Thursday.

Experts from the Bali Center for Cultural Services and Consultation, Bali Shanti and the Udayana University Public Service Institution led the discussion called "How to protect traditional artists' creativity via modern copyright laws", agreeing that Balinese artists must conform to global trends on copyright issues.

The issue of copyright made headlines in Bali after a recent spat between the government and Denny Aryasa, a Balinese artist prosecuted for allegedly copying a particular pattern copyrighted by a U.S. company.

The case outraged Balinese artisans with Denny's lawyers accusing the U.S. company of patenting 1,200 Balinese motifs.

The Denpasar District Court acquitted Denny earlier this month, but the incident continues to worry Balinese artisans for fear of litigation, Wayan Dibia, a professor at the Indonesian Arts Institute in Denpasar.

Many Balinese artists consider their creations to be socially and religiously important, he said.

"For a Balinese artist, the highest reward for making an art piece is to offer their arts to their people and to the gods," he said during the discussion at Udayana University, Denpasar.

Balinese artists must rise above that sentimentality because, whether they like it or not, they have to adjust themselves to the global artistic community, he said, which tends to be more commercial.

Balinese artists must become aware of copyright law and register their creations at the nearest copyright agencies because it can be used to protect Bali's more ancient arts and the artists' general welfare, Dibia said.

"Artists don't have get rid of communal and religious cultures that we have nurtured over all these years, just when it comes to physical creations. Then yes, they have to at least register those creations."

Nyoman Arya Thanaya, head of the learning center on copyrights issues at Udayana University, blamed the government for not providing the public with enough information on copyrights issues.

"This makes Bali's artists less inclined to learn about the importance of copyright," he said.

Respective copyright agencies need to reach out to the public and urge artists to cooperate with government efforts in promoting copyright registration, he said.

Dr. Nyoman Lodra, from the Forum for Balinese Culture, agreed.

"Copyright cases have been haunting Balinese artists since the 1980's, and it's partly the artists' fault," he said.

"What they have to realize is that these copyright law islso designed to protect them, and they should utilize that protection."

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