UI界面版权和商业外观侵权的法律标准——以美国法为例

Legal Standards for UI Interface Copyright and Trade Dress Infringement—Based on US Law

摘要: 本文探讨了在美国法律体系下，UI界面在版权和商业外观两个维度上寻求知识产权保护的法律标准与困境。尽管UI界面从创作之初即受版权保护，但这种保护主要局限于软件的源代码等“表达”层面，而不涵盖其功能、操作方法或“思想”。因此，若无代码抄袭的直接证据，仅凭UI界面的“外观与感觉”的相似性很难成功主张版权侵权。作为替代和补充，商业外观为UI界面的整体“外观与感觉”提供了另一条保护路径。权利人需证明其UI界面具有识别产品来源的“独特性”(通常通过“第二含义”来证明)且整体上“非功能性”，同时被告的使用可能造成消费者混淆。然而，证明UI的非功能性是实践中的主要难点，因为UI界面的许多元素都与实用功能紧密相关。本文结论认为，在维权实践中，权利人通常会将版权、商业外观乃至专利侵权结合起来，以构建更全面的法律保护。

Abstract: This article explores the legal standards and dilemmas faced by UI interfaces in seeking intellectual property protection across the dimensions of copyright and trade dress under the US legal system. While UI interfaces are protected by copyright from the outset, this protection primarily focuses on the “expression” level, such as the software’s source code, without covering its functionality, operation methods, or “ideas”. Therefore, without direct evidence of code plagiarism, it is difficult to successfully assert copyright infringement solely based on the similarity of the UI interface’s “look and feel”. As an alternative and supplement, trade dress provides another avenue for protecting the overall “look and feel” of the UI interface. The rights holder must prove that their UI interface possesses “uniqueness” in identifying the product’s origin (usually demonstrated through “secondary meaning”) and is generally “non-functional”, while the defendant’s use may cause consumer confusion. However, proving the non-functionality of the UI is a major challenge in practice, as many elements of the UI interface are closely related to practical functions. This article concludes that in rights protection practice, rights holders typically combine copyright, trade dress, and even patent infringement claims to construct a more comprehensive legal protection.