电子游戏规则著作权法保护路径之否定

The Denial of Copyright Protection for Video Game Rules

电子游戏规则属于思想/表达二分法中的思想,不应受著作权法保护。以电子游戏规则可以通过连续动态画面等形式表现为由认为其属于表达的裁判思路,混淆了“可表现”与“表达”的概念。将电子游戏规则与故事情节等传统类型表达类比保护的裁判思路,实质上是针对同类对象创设了不同的保护标准。作品整体保护论仍以思想/表达二分法为前提,并未给电子游戏规则的著作权法保护提供依据。以创作空间为作品认定主要标准的观点架空了思想/表达二分法,将导致任何无体智力成果乃至劳动成果构成作品均不存在障碍。法院将电子游戏规则视为新类型独创性表达并赋予其著作权保护的做法,将导致权利归属结论不当、独创性认定标准异化等消极影响。

Video game rules,as ideas under idea/expression dichotomy,should not be protected by copyright law.Considering video game rules as expressions on the ground that they can be expressed in the form of continuous motion pictures confuses the concepts of"expressible"and"expression".Protecting video game rules by analogy with traditional works,such as storyline,creates inconsistent protection standards for similar objects.The doctrine of"overall protection"for works still relies on idea/expression dichotomy,and does not provide any theoretical basis for copyright protection of video game rules.The view that the creative space is the core standards overrides idea/expression dichotomy and would lead to the conclusion that any intangible intellectual work,or even the fruits of labor,can be considered works.Judicial practices that regard video game rules as a new type of original expression and grant them copyright protection could lead to inappropriate conclusions on copyright ownership and distort the standard for originality.