WTO规则下数字产品的法律属性研究

Legal Attributes of Digital Products under WTO Rules

WTO框架下的传统贸易协定将产品分为货物与服务两类,如果将数字产品的法律属性定性为货物,则与数字产品相关的贸易问题将适用GATT货物贸易规则,如果定性为服务,则适用GATS服务贸易规则。部分WTO成员追求最大限度的数字贸易自由化,主张对数字产品适用GATT;另一部分WTO成员为保护其国内市场不被侵入和垄断,主张对数字产品适用GATS。数字产品知识产权保护是国际经贸谈判的重要议题之一,WTO主要成员已经开始尝试在区域贸易协定和WTO提案中提出关于数字知识产权保护的主张。数字产品的定性结果将直接影响到数字产品是否享有非歧视待遇、电子传输是否永久免征关税等法律问题。中国应抓住数字技术快速发展的机遇,探索针对数字产品法律属性定性问题的应对之策。

The traditional trade agreement under the WTO framework divides products into goods and services.If the legal attributes of digital products are defined as goods,GATT goods trade rules will apply to trade issues related to digital products.If they are defined as services,they will apply GATS Service Trade Rules.Some WTO members pursue maximum digital trade liberalization and advocate the application of GATT to digital products;another part of WTO members advocate the application of GATS to digital products in order to protect their domestic markets from intrusion and monopoly.The protection of intellectual property rights of digital products is one of the important topics in international economic and trade negotiations.The main WTO members have begun to try to put forward proposals on the protection of digital intellectual property rights in regional trade agreements and WTO proposals.The qualitative results of digital products will directly affect legal issues such as whether digital products enjoy non-discriminatory treatment and whether electronic transmission is permanently exempt from tariffs.China should seize the opportunity of the rapid development of digital technology and explore solutions to the qualitative problems of the legal attributes of digital products.