著作权扩张及其缘由透视

对著作权法的历史考察表明,它代表了被保护权利的持续扩张,以及相应的在作品中作为公共领域部分的持续减少。著作权扩张表现在受保护的客体不断增加、著作权保护范围不断扩大、使用方式不断增多、著作权保护期限不断延长等方面。从技术发展方面看,技术因素对著作权扩张具有极大的影响。著作权的扩张不仅可以从著作权制度本身的角度加以考察,也可以从政治、文化视野和经济学的层面上分析。著作权扩张还可以从利益平衡原理得到解释。著作权扩张与限制的辩证关系也说明,利益平衡是著作权法永恒的主题。

Insight into Copyright Expansion and Its Cause

A historical examination of copyright law indicates a continued expansion of protected rights and continued reduction of the rights of works that remain in the public domain.The expansion is represented in the continued increase of protection objects,the continued widening of the range of copyright protection,the continued addition of usage modes,and the continued extension of copyright protection duration.Technological development has been very influential in the expansion.The expansion can not only be examined under the copyright system itself,but also analyzed on the political,cultural and economic levels.It can also be explained with the trade-off theory.The dialectical relation between expansion and constraint also indicates that trade-off has been and will continue to be the constant theme of copyright law.