禁止计算机软件反向工程条款的合法性研究——AWS客户协议之许可限制条款所引发的思考

Legitimacy Analysis of Reverse Engineer Prohibition in Software :Reflections result from the License Restrictions in the AWS Customer Agreement

本文通过解读全球最大的云服务提供商之一——亚马逊云服务公司(AWS)在其客户协议中所设置的限制性条款,分析知识产权人限制客户权利的合法性。基于美国和欧盟以往的相关立法及司法实践,重点阐述其"禁止反向工程条款"的合法性。这种为强化知识产权人的优势地位而在许可合同中添加限制性条款的行为从本质上将限制竞争、引起行业垄断,从而破坏个人与社会公共利益的平衡。本文鉴于美国与欧盟已建立的反垄断法规制,研究国际社会规范许可合同中限制性条款的相关管理措施,明确禁止反向工程条款是违反软件版权合理使用的规定,并针对我国计算机软件反向工程的合理使用提出相关立法建议。

This article critically analyzes the license restrictions in customer agreements made by Amazon Web Service, in order to examine the legitimacy of licensors to limit their end users through setting extensive limited provisions in click-wrap contracts. This article mainly discusses the provision about prohibition of reverse engineer, and bases on the relevant legislation and judicial practice of the United States and the European Union to examine the term’s legitimacy. In view of the anti-monopoly regulations established by the United States and the European Union, this article studies the relevant management measurement to the restrictive provisions in licensing agreements taken by international community. In the last, the article reveals that the reverse engineer prohibition is a violation of fair use in software, and also brings forward several suggestions about fair use legislation in reverse engineering of software in China.