论电视节目模式的著作权法保护

On the Copyright Law Protection of Television Program Format

电视节目模式的保护是著作权法的前沿问题。从世界范围内来看,各国对于电视节目模式的定义、电视节目模式的性质和司法态度普遍缺乏一致意见。电视节目模式是由综艺节目创意、流程、规则、技术规定、主持风格等多种元素组成的,可以用于多次重复制作类似节目的模板。不同于大陆法系国家的坚决反对和英美法系国家的模棱两可态度,巴西和荷兰明确赋予电视节目模式以独立形式的著作权,开创了电视节目模式著作权法保护的先河。电视节目模式是表达而非思想,是具有独创性、可复制性的著作权作品。电视节目的节目标题,节目流程安排,节目情境安排,节目的布景、道具或舞美,节目的特定角色设计,节目的配乐,节目的口号或广告词,节目的编排方式等实质要素是电视节目模式能够获得著作权法保护以及是否构成侵权的重要判断标准。

The protection of Television Program Format is a vital frontier problem in entertainment law. From a worldwide perspec- tive, all countries are generally lacking in consensus on the definition and nature of Television Program Format, and the attitude towards it. Television Program Format consists of ideas, processes, rules, technical regulations, hosting styles and other various elements, which can be used repeatedly to make similar program formats. Different from the strongly opposing attitude in civil law countries and the ambiguity attitude in common law countries, Brazil and Netherland explicitly endow the copyright in independ- ent form to Television Program Format, pioneering in the field of copyright law protection of Television Program Format. Televi- sion Program Format is an expression rather than an idea, and it is copyright works with features like originality and replicability. The essential elements, such as Television Program Format＇ s program titles, program character designs, program situation ar- rangements, stage art designs, scene settings, props designs, program rules, background music, program advertising languages or program slogans, program arranged modes and so on, are the significant standard which judges whether Television Program Format can be protected by copyright law and whether it constitutes infringement.