虚拟偶像中表演者问题及运营者相关权利行使探究

The Problem of Performers in Virtual Idols and the Exercise of Relevant Rights of Operators

摘要: 随着元宇宙和虚拟偶像在行业领域中的兴起，有观点提出给予虚拟偶像以著作权法中表演者的身份来给予其相应的保护。这表面上解决了其保护问题，但其实并没有对虚拟偶像的产生方式进行分类分析并且违背了著作权法的基本原理。本文通过对表演概念进行辨析、梳理表演者权成立须具有的构成要件，并以此为大前提来分析动作捕捉类虚拟偶像、程序类虚拟偶像以及声音同步类虚拟偶像中表演者是否存在以及如何存在，得出动作捕捉类虚拟偶像中“中之人”是表演者，但其权利应由运营者代为行使；在其余两类虚拟偶像中不存在所谓的表演者的结论。运营者对内要协调好与“中之人”之间的权利分配，对外要进行规避侵权与维权。对于运营者的权利保护应基于对作品的著作权以及录像制品的邻接权，但是在必要时可以对视听作品进行改造即删除“已固定”要件，从而对他人未经许可而进行现场直播的行为进行规制。

Abstract: With the rise of the meta-universe and virtual idol in the industry, some people put forward that virtual idol should be protected as a performer in the copyright law. On the surface, this solves the problem of protection, but in fact, it does not classify and analyze the way virtual idols are produced and violates the basic principle of copyright law. This paper analyzes whether and how performers exist in motion-capture virtual idols, procedural virtual idols and voice synchronization virtual idols by analyzing the concept of performance and sorting out the constitutive elements required for the establishment of performers’ rights, and draws a conclusion that the “middle person” in motion-capture virtual idols is the performer, but its rights should be exercised by the operator; there is no so-called performers conclusion in the remaining two categories of virtual idols. The operator should coordinate the distribution of rights with the “people in the middle” internally, and avoid infringement and safeguard rights externally. The rights protection of operators should be based on the copyright of the works and the adjacent rights of the video products, but when necessary, the audio-visual works can be modified, that is, the “fixed” elements can be deleted, so as to regulate the behavior of others who broadcast live without permission.