网络游戏规则分层识别的著作权保护路径研究

Research on the Copyright Protection Path for Hierarchical Identification of Online Game Rules

摘要: 游戏规则是凝聚了开发者智慧的智力成果，网络游戏行业“换皮”抄袭现象频发，引发其是否应受著作权保护的讨论。《著作权法》第三次修改为网络游戏规则构成作品提供了可能性。网络游戏规则保护的现有观点可以归纳为“不受保护说”、“间接保护说”、“直接保护说”三种，应采用“直接保护说”，网络游戏规则分为线性规则、分支规则和细化规则，只有细化规则才属于表达，并在排除有限表达后可以构成新类型作品。通过对比三种保护路径，“直接保护说”增加的成本有限，对激励创新和利益平衡相对其他两种保护路径有明显优势，应在司法实践中对能够以著作权保护的游戏规则加以认定。

Abstract: Game rules represent the intellectual fruits of developers’ ingenuity. The rampant “skin-changing” plagiarism in the online game industry has sparked debates over their copyright eligibility. The third amendment to the Copyright Law has established the possibility of online game rules being classified as copyrightable works. Existing perspectives on protecting such rules fall into three doctrines: the Non-Protection Doctrine, Indirect Protection Doctrine, and Direct Protection Doctrine, with the latter being the preferred approach. Online game rules are categorized into linear rules, branching rules, and detailed rules—only the last constitutes expression, which may qualify as a new type of work after excluding limited expression. A comparison of the three protection paths reveals that the Direct Protection Doctrine entails limited additional costs while demonstrating distinct advantages over the other two in incentivizing innovation and balancing interests. Judicial practice should therefore clarify the criteria for identifying game rules eligible for copyright protection.