对WCT第8条向公众传播权中初始提供行为的思考

Reflections on the Initial Act of Making Works Available of the Right of Communication in Article 8 of WCT

对WCT第8条向公众传播权中初始提供行为的界定,学界一直存有争议。有学者认为初始提供行为即用户将作品上传至服务器的上传行为。从传播的物理过程和权利本质上看,传播包括四个阶段,第一阶段是作品上传阶段,第二阶段是作品形成公众可获得的状态,第三阶段是作品传播阶段,第四阶段用户获得作品阶段。从WCT第8条关于向公众传播权的内容规制上,可以看出"向公众传播"并不要求传播的实际发生,不要求公众实际获得作品,故可以将第四阶段从初始提供行为中排除;从提供行为的本质来看,初始提供行为并不排除上传作品的行为,但是主要强调的是第二阶段,即作品形成公众可获得的状态。初始提供行为虽不排除上传或者其他将作品置于信息网络中的行为,但是更为重要的是作品处于公众可获得的状态,这种状态不单单由上传用户提供行为所导致,更主要是由网络服务提供商的提供行为导致,并且WCT中"向公众传播权"及我国的"信息网络传播权"的立法初衷在于规制网络服务商的提供行为。

People in the academic circles have always been controversial about the definition of the initial act of making works available of the right of communication in article 8 of WCT.Some scholars believe that the initial act is the uploading behavior of the user’s uploading works to the server.From the perspective of the nature of the dissemination of the physical process and rights,communication includes four stages.The first stage is uploading works.The second stage is the state in which works is acquired by the public.The third stage is works dissemination and the fourth stage is the user’s obtaining of works.From the content regulation of WCT Article 8 on the right of communication,it can be seen that“spreading to the public”does not require the actual occurrence of the communication,and does not require the public’s actual obtaining of works,hence the fourth stage can be excluded from the initial act.From the perspective of the nature of the initial act,the initial act does not prelude the act of uploading works,but the emphasis is on the second stage,or works’being in a state of public availability.Although the initial act does not preclude uploading or other actions that may put works on the information network,it emphasizes,more importantly,that works is in a state of public availability.This state is not caused solely by the uploading of user-provided activities.It may be also caused by the behavior of the network service provider.In addition,the original intention of WCT’s“right of communication”and China’s“right to spread information network”lies in regulating the provision of online service providers.