虚拟偶像著作权保护困境破解研究

Research on Resolving the Dilemmas of Copyright Protection for Virtual Idols

摘要: 中国虚拟偶像市场高速扩张，却面临著作权类型不明、权利归属难判断的双重困境。本文主张对其外观、声音、人设分别适用美术作品、拟增“合成语音作品”、文字或美术作品及反不正当竞争法予以拆分保护；同时依出资与创作贡献，将整体成果归入法人作品、职务作品，并以合同细化权属。在立法尚未成熟之际，上述“拆解 + 分层”路径可为司法提供可操作的过渡方案，兼顾产业活力与权利明晰。

Abstract: China’s virtual idol market is expanding rapidly, yet it is caught in a twofold dilemma: the types of copyright involved are ill-defined and ownership is hard to determine. This article proposes a “disaggregate-and-layer” approach: the character’s appearance, voice and persona should be protected separately as a work of applied art, a new category of “synthetic-voice work” to be added to the copyright statute, and a literary or artistic work plus anti-unfair-competition rules. For the overall outcome, ownership should be allocated on the basis of capital contribution and creative input, classifying the result either as an employer’s work or a work made in the course of employment, with detailed contractual clauses refining the rights. Until legislation matures, this disaggregate-and-layer pathway offers courts a workable interim solution that balances industrial dynamism with clear entitlements.