JAKARTA. The Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association (APJII) plans to block all websites that allow visitors to download music illegally, in a bid to protect the local music business, APJII’s chairman, Semmy Pangerapan, said on Thursday.

“The process will be similar to the clearing house, where we close access to unauthorized content, so local music will be more appreciated,” he said during an APJII conference in Denpasar, Bali.

APJII members will utilize a platform to control intellectual and property rights, payment gateways and content aggregators. Therefore, when a customer downloads pirated music, its Internet Service Provider (ISP) will receive a notification to block the content.

The blocking scheme, he said, was backed by the 2008 Law on Information and Electronic Transactions.

The decision will also help ISPs expand their businesses, as some of them are currently developing business schemes where they gain profits from legally downloaded music.

“This [blocking] will also educate people to respect copyright [law],” Semmy said.

The association, which oversees more than 200 ISPs, did not, however, mention when the blocking will be introduced.

Indonesia is home to 30 million Internet users. (The Jakarta Post)

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