“避风港”规则的实践困境与完善路径

The Practical Dilemmas and Enhancing Paths of“Safe Harbor”Rule

“避风港”规则是判定网络侵权责任的重要规则之一,在互联网发展早期较好地平衡了权利保护与产业发展的关系。但随着新技术新业态的快速发展,“避风港”规则在新技术环境下面临着一系列实践困境:网络内容分享平台驶入“避风港”的条件不明确,对特定侵权内容的通知处置难以遏制重复侵权,公法审查义务可能会架空“避风港”规则的适用。摆脱这些困境,就应该在《民法典》解释论框架下,合理划定新技术环境下平台应尽的注意义务,适当扩展解释“必要措施”以遏制重复侵权,澄清私法注意义务与公法审查义务的关系。

The“safe harbor”rule is one of the important rules for determining liability for online infringements.It balanced rights protection and industrial development well in the early days of the rise of the Internet.However,with the rapid development of new technologies and new businesses,the“safe harbor”rule encounters a series of practical dilemmas in the new technological environment:the criteria for online content sharing platforms to enter the“safe harbor”are unclear;notification and handling of specific infringing content are difficult to curb repeated infringements;public law duty of review may override the application of“safe harbor”rule.To address these issues within the interpretation theory of the Civil Code,we should clarify platforms’duty of care in the new technology environment,broaden the interpretation of“necessary measures”to prevent repeated infringements,and define the relationship between private law duty of care and duty of review under public law.