Indonesian Artists Refuse Copyright As Being Against Their Religious Beliefs; Tech Dirt, 7/17/09

Mike Masnick via Tech Dirt; Indonesian Artists Refuse Copyright As Being Against Their Religious Beliefs:

"Boing Boing points us to a story about how some batik-makers in Java, Indonesia are resisting attempts by the gov't to have them copyright their designs. The local government is warning the designers that without copyrighting, the designs others could copy them and claim them as their own, but the designers have a religious objection to the idea:

"They believe that each time they create something, it is not they who worked, but it is God who worked through their human body and soul," Gunawan said. "Being grateful [to God] is sufficient for them."

What's funny, then, is to see the politicians fret about this, worrying how people in Malaysia might copyright the design first and "there is little that we can do." Except... if the designers don't care, what needs to be done? If someone else profits from it, so what? How does that harm the original designer?"

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090717/0142075579.shtml