继承所得著作权行使的裁判逻辑与规制进路

Judicial Application and Theoretical Reflection of Heirs Copyright

《著作权法》第21条规定著作权人死亡后特定著作权“依法转移”,但继承所得著作权应当如何行使以及部分继承人单独许可是否有效并无明确规定。我国司法实践目前存在两种裁判逻辑:一是基于继承所得著作权价值不确定性与不宜分割性,援引共同共有规则认定单独许可行为无效,将侵权人获得部分继承人许可作为判赔数额酌减因素。二是基于继承所得著作权保护期不确定性与主体变动性,援引合作作品规则认定行为有效,特定情形下判定使用者补偿继承人相应报酬。从效率与秩序价值考量,细化继承著作权条款具有伦理正当性和现实必要性,优化进路在于设置权利行使人制度以增强行权规范性,借鉴合作作品行权规则以填补制度空白,避免因继承人不能协商一致或难以找寻所有继承人等原因阻碍作品正常使用传播。

Article 21 of the Copyright Law stipulates that the"lawful transfer"of specific copyrights after the death of copyright owner,but there are no clear provisions on how to exercise the copyright obtained from inheritance and whether the separate license of some heirs is valid.There are two kinds of adjudication logic in judicial practice:On the one hand,based on the uncertainty of value and inseparable rights,common ownership rules is invoked to determine that the separate license is invalid,and the infringer's obtaining part of the heir's permission is used as a factor to reduce the amount of compensation.On the other hand,based on the uncertainty of the term of protection and the variability of the subject,cooperative works rules are invoked to determine that the act is valid,and the user need compensate the heirs for corresponding remuneration.From the perspective of family ethics and market efficiency,regulatory approach is setting up a rights exercisers and drawing on the cooperative works rules,so as to avoid hindering use of works due to reasons such as heirs who cannot reach consensus or find all heirs.