论卡通角色权利重叠保护的边界

Studies on the Boundary of Overlapping Protection of Cartoon Characters

利用当前的知识产权保护机制,为卡通角色提供重叠保护具有可行性。与单一保护模式相比,重叠保护借助双重或三重法律工具,能够更加全面地维护主体利益,更有效地保障权利人收回创造性成本。但权利重叠保护也可能引发负面效应。在司法实践中,混用法律规则造成权利保护范围的扩大或不加限制地延长权利保护期限,都可能使得权利边界丧失原有的正当性基础,不但造成公共利益的被剥夺,也不利于动漫产业正当竞争秩序的形成。因此,厘清卡通角色权利重叠保护的两面性以及法律适用,有助于确定卡通角色权利保护的合理范围,这样既可使权利人的利益得到充分保护,也不会阻碍对卡通角色的二次利用和持续创新。

It is feasible to protect cartoon characters utilizing the current intellectual property mechanisms. Comparing to the single protection mode, overlapping protection by means of double or triple legal tools is capable to facilitate the right holders to compensate the innovation costs with more comprehensive scope. However, overlapping protection may also trigger negative effects in judicial practices. Expanding the protection scope could result in the confusion of copyright and trademark right principles and the extension of protection period lacking of essential justification. Without clarifying the legal theory underpinning the overlapping protection of cartoon character, the public interest will be unreasonably deprived and the competition in the animation industry will be disordered as well. To determine the reasonable scope of right protection of cartoon character, it is vital to explore the potential outcomes that overlap protection could generate and its applicability in the practices. On the premise of protecting right holders within reasonable scope, the secondary use of cartoon characters and continuous innovation could be encouraged.