宋代的版权问题——兼评郑成思与安守廉之争

雕版印刷技术促使宋代出版业迅速发展。为禁止当时的盗版现象,宋代一些营利出版商试图寻求官府的保护。出版商的努力反映了基于私人知识财产的版权观念已经产生。然而,宋代的版权形态仅仅表现为某些营利出版商的版权利益主张与个别地方官府偶尔、零散的行政庇护相结合。出版商的行为并没有导致版权法或知识产权制度的催生。对此,郑成思认为是由于传统社会经济未得到发展。安守廉则认为官府有关版权或出版业的行为只是反映帝国控制思想传播的努力。但是,从历史的角度而言,西方中世纪对出版业的控制程度远甚于宋代,版权法却首先产生于英国。与宋代出版商不同,西方私人出版商的出版特权与政府的出版管制密切相联。在各种社会因素的作用下,出版特权成为稳定的制度。各种因素促使出版特权制度转变为后来的版权法。中国古代无法发展出一套版权制度与当时的集权/极权政治相关。

The popularization of new printing technology spurred the fast development of publication business in Song Dynasty. To curb the phenomenon of piracy, some publishers at that time sought protection from the government. These efforts indicated the emergence of copyright idea based on the concept of private intellectual property. However, copyright at Song Dynasty was claimed only by some publishers and the protection offered by the government was casual, scattered and administrative in nature. It failed to develop into a copyright law or any institution for the protection of intellectual property right.