نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسندگان

1 دانشیار حقوق گروه حقوق بین‌الملل عمومی، دانشکده حقوق و علوم سیاسی، دانشگاه علامه طباطبائی، تهران، ایران.

2 کارشناس ارشد حقوق مالکیت فکری، دانشکده حقوق و علوم سیاسی، دانشگاه علامه طباطبایی، تهران، ایران.

چکیده

در حقوق مالکیت فکری، از جمله در نظامِ حقوق مالکیت ادبی و هنری، با هدف ایجاد انگیزه برای آفریننده و حمایت از دستاوردهای خلاقانۀ وی، از آثار او حمایت به‌عمل می‌آید. یکی از این آثار، شخصیت‌های خیالی هستند که نقش تأثیرگذاری در زندگی روزمره و فعالیت‌های سرگرمی ما دارند. این شخصیت‌ها انواع گوناگونی را شامل می‌شوند که می‌توانند در آثاری چون فیلم، کتاب، برنامه رایانه‌‌ای و غیره تجلّی پیدا کنند. پرسش اساسی مقالۀ حاضر این است که آیا امکان حمایت مستقل از شخصیت‌های خیالی در نظام حقوق مالکیت ادبی و هنری وجود دارد؟ به این منظور با استفاده از روش توصیفی- تحلیلی، از رویۀ قضایی دادگاه‌ها، به‌ویژه آمریکا، برای تبیین مبانی حقوقی و تعریف عناصر، امکان و معیار حمایت از شخصیت‌های خیالی استفاده شده است. این رویه خود می‌‌تواند الگویی برای حقوق سایر کشورها از جمله ایران باشد. دستاورد پژوهش این است که با در نظر گرفتن آزمون‌‌های توصیف متمایز، داستان روایت‌شده و آزمون سه‌بخشی و رعایت شرایط آزمون‌های پیش‌‌گفته، امکان حمایت مستقل از شخصیت‌های خیالی در نظام کپی‌رایت وجود دارد

کلیدواژه‌ها

موضوعات

عنوان مقاله [English]

Protection of Fictional Characters in Literary and Artistic Property Law System

نویسندگان [English]

  • Mehdi Zahedi 1
  • Sara Solhchi 2

1 Associate Professor, Public International Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Allameh Tabataba'I University, Tehran, Iran.

2 MA. in Intellectual Property Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Allameh Tabataba'I University, Tehran, Iran

چکیده [English]

In contemporary intellectual property law, literary and artistic property rights extend beyond mere movies or literary works to encompass the fictional characters integral to these creative endeavors. This legal support not only serves to inspire creators but also to safeguard their imaginative achievements. Among these creations, fictional characters hold a profound influence over our daily lives and entertainment pursuits, spanning various media such as movies, books, and computer programs. Iconic figures like Sherlock Holmes, Batman, and Superman exemplify the significant fictional characters that have received such protection. Given the vast diversity of fictional characters, it becomes imperative to secure the rights of their creators, thereby fostering the necessary motivation for their ongoing creativity. Consequently, the principal objective of this article is to delve into the mechanisms by which fictional characters are safeguarded within the framework of literary and artistic property rights. Specifically, the article seeks to address whether it is feasible to independently protect these characters within this legal structure.
To achieve this goal, a descriptive-analytical methodology is employed, drawing upon court jurisprudence, particularly in the United States, to elucidate the legal underpinnings and delineate the elements, possibilities, and criteria for protecting fictional characters. Central to this examination are discussions on the concept of fictional characters, methodologies for protection, criteria for identifying infringements, proprietary rights, and protected elements. Moreover, it is important to note that data collection for this article follows a documentary and library-based approach. Utilizing the library method, a cornerstone of scientific research, ensures a comprehensive exploration of existing literature and resources. Through this methodological framework, data is systematically gathered and analyzed using a descriptive-analytical lens. The article concludes that fictional characters can indeed be independently supported, distinct from the larger artistic work. These characters are defined as "abstractions eliciting a response in the mind of the reader or viewer through written or spoken words." Consequently, certain guiding principles must be observed in supporting fictional characters, notably the principle of " idea-expression dichotomy." In the realm of works in in Literary and Artistic Property Law System, protection extends to the tangible expression of the work, rather than the underlying ideas. The work is defined as "the expression of creative and original literary and artistic thoughts of the creator that has been established in the outside world." Additionally, authenticity and fixation conditions are pivotal for support, ensuring the character's origin from the creator and its objective manifestation. Further examination focuses on tests designed to assess potential violations of fictional character rights, such as the " Distinct Delineation Test," the " Story being told test,” And the "three-part test." These tests evaluate elements such as physical appearance, identity, evolution, and narrative significance. Ultimately, an analysis of relevant cases demonstrates that courts recognize the possibility of independently protecting fictional characters, provided they exhibit originality and developed expression. The application of such tests within judicial procedures serves to bolster creator motivation, stimulate creative endeavors, and attract investment in cultural and artistic domains, alongside other cultural and social pursuits

کلیدواژه‌ها [English]

  • Intellectual Property law
  • Fictional Characters
  • Literary and Artistic Property Law System
  • Creator
  • Character
زاهدی، مهدی، شریف‌زاده، شیرین. (1400). «آزادی بیان و اصل دوگانگی ایده و بیان». پژوهش حقوق عمومی، 23(71). صص 95-127.
زر کلام، ستار، حقوق مالکیت ادبی و هنری. چاپ پنجم، (تهران: نشر سمت، 1398).
شاکری، زهرا. (1394). «استفادۀ منصفانه از آثار ادبی و هنری؛ حقی برای جامعه؟!». مطالعات حقوق خصوصی، 45(2)، صص 207-223.
شاکری، زهرا. (1400). «نقض حقوق مؤلف در پرتو اقتباس از اثر دیگری و از آن خودسازی هنری»
فصلنامه مطالعات حقوقی، 13(4)، صص 171 -204
صالحی مازندرانی، محمد، محمدی، عمید. (1400). «حمایت حقوقی از شخصیت های خیالی (کاراکترها) در آمریکا؛ رهاوردی برای حقوق ایران». مجله مطالعات حقوق تطبیقی، 12(1). صص 191-218.
معینی، حامد، قادری، مریم‌السادات. (1392). «دکترین ادغام و دکترین نمای اجباری در مالکیت ادبی ـ هنری». مجله علمی پژوهشی حقوق پزشکی، (7). صص 179-201.
References
Abdel-Khalik, J. (2018). "Scènes à Faire as Identity Trait Stereotyping". Bus. Entrepreneurship & Tax L. Rev., 2(2), 241-273.
Ahmad, T., & Mondal, D. (2011). "The Conflicting Interests in Copyright ability of Fictional Characters". 1-22.
Alphonso, K. (2017). "DC Comics v. Towle: To the Batmobile: Which Fictional Characters Deserve Protection under Copyright Law". Golden Gate UL Rev., 47(1), 5-24.
Arora, T. (2021). "A Study on the Contribution of Film Industry on Economy". Int'l JL Mgmt. & Human., 4(4), 2089-2107.
Bartholomew, M. (2000)."Protecting the Performers: Setting a New Standard for Character Copyrightability", Santa Clara L. Rev. 41(2), 341-378.
Bavana, K. (2021). "Protection of Fictional Characters in IPR". Jus Corpus LJ, 2(3), 320-333.
Blazquez, F. C. (2004). "Plagiarism: An Original Sin?". European audiovisual observatory, 1-14.
Boppert, A. P. (2018). What is the Status Quo of Copyright Protection for TV Formats in National Jurisdictions and Under International Treaties, and Does it Suffice?. Available at SSRN 3143110. 1-15.
Brylawski, E. F. (1974). "Protection of Characters-Sam Spade Revisited". Bull. Copyright Soc'y USA, 22, 77-103.
Budde-Sung, A. (2013). "The Invisible Meets the Intangible: Culture’s Impact on Intellectual Property Protection". Journal of Business Ethics, 117(2), 345–359.
Coe, S. J. (2011). "The story of a character: Establishing the limits of independent copyright protection for literary characters". Chi.-Kent L. Rev., 86(3), 1305-1330.
Deamer, M. (2017). "DC Comics v. Towle: Protecting Fictional Characters through Stewardship". Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 32, 437–468. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26490251.
Dean, N. (1993) "Protecting characters through copyright law: paving a new road upon which literary, graphic, and motion picture characters can all travel”. DePaul Law Review, 41(2), 359-394.
 Foley, K. M. (2008). "Protecting fictional characters: Defining the elusive trademark-copyright divide". Conn. L. Rev., 41(3), 921-962.
Fox, A. M. (2015). "Aggregation analysis in copyright infringement claims: The fate of fictional facts". Columbia Law Review, 115(3), 661–700. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43267876.
Joshi, Ch. Rathor, S.C. (2020). "Critical analysis of idea expression dichotomy in the context of conceptual Art". Critical Law Review, 7(4), 4181-4186.
Kalvi, A. (2005). "The Impact of Copyright Industries on Copyright Law". Juridica Int'l, 10, 95-104.
Kermit, F. Character Creation and the Law. (United States: Lulu.com, 2015).
Kellman, L. (1958). "Legal Protection of Fictional Characters", The Brook. L. Rev, 25(1), 3-19
Khan, M., Raheem, A., Ilyas, S., & Mehmood, B. (2017). "Does entertainment industry entertain the economy? Empirical evidence". Science international (lahore), 28(4), 609-611.
Koros, C. D. (2019). "Protection of TV Formats: Legal vs. Non-Legal Approaches" Quen Mary Law Journal, 10, 7-26.
Labaume, V. (2021). "The protection of fictional characters under EU intellectual property law". Stockholm Intellectual Property Law Review, (2), 34-47.
Lamarque, P. Fictional points of view. (United States: Cornell University Press, 1996).
Marks, M. V. (1980)."The legal rights of fictional characters". Copyright L. In SYMP. (ASCAP), 25, 35-92.
Muthoharoh, D.A. (2021). "Iconic Fictional Object as Separately Copyrighted Work from the Original Work" Media Hukum Journal, 28 (1), 57-73.
Nickles, C. (1999). "The Conflicts Between Intellectual Property Protections When a Character Enters the Public Domain". UCLA Entertainment. L. Rev., 7(1), 133-168.
Oh, C. E. (2023). "Inside out, upside down: circuit court confusion over character copyrightability". Emory Law Journal, 72(3), 629-673.
Scharff, Justin. (2020). "The Copyrightability of Fictional Characters: Why Harry Potter, Arya Stark, and Matrim Cauthon Are Copyrightable". Touro L. Rev., 35(4), 1291-1314.
Schreyer, Amanda (2015) "An Overview of Legal Protection for Fictional Characters: Balancing Public and Private Interests," Cybaris: An Intellectual Property Law Review, 6(1), 52-70.
Smith, Carrie Ayn. (2014). "A Character Dilemma: A Look into Trademark Protections for Characters from Creative Works" Law School Student Scholarship. 579, 1-28.
Subhan, J. (2014). "The Protection of Fictional Characters". 1-9. Available at https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2973715
Sylkina, A. (2020). "Approaches to defining a television format as one of intellectual property law objects: Ukrainian and foreign experiences". European Journal of Sustainable Development, 9(4), 364-375.
Thomas, A. J., & Weiss, J. D. (2012). "Evolving Standards in Copyright Protection for Dynamic Fictional Characters". Comm. Law., 29(3), 9-15.
Tze, P. L. (2020). "Beyond Copyright: Applying a Radical Idea-Expression Dichotomy to the Ownership of Fictional Characters", Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law, 21(1), 95-144.
Watt, R. An empirical analysis of the economics of copyright: How valid are the results of studies in developed countries for developing countries? In World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) (Ed.), The economics of intellectual property—Suggestions for further research in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. (Geneva: WIPO, 2007).
Wright, K. (2015). "Blueprints of character: applying the distinct delineation test and character copyright protection to original literary places". AIPLA Quarterly Journal, 43(1), 221-240.
Zahr, S. (2013)." Fixing Copyright in Characters: Literary Perspectives on a Legal Problem". Cardozo Law Review, Vol. 35(2), 769-830.
Zecevic, J. (2005). "Distintcly Delineated Fictional Characters That Constitute the Story Being Told: Who Are They and Do They Deserve Independent Copyright Protection". Vand. J. Ent. & Tech. L., 8(2), 365-398.
Zissu, L. (1981)."Whither Character Rights: Some Observations-The Eleventh Donald C. Brace Memorial Lecture". J. Copyright Soc'y USA, 29(2), 121-138.
Online Sources
Court finds French author plagiarized gone with wind (1989). The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2023, from
Kohli, Shan. (2016). Giving Due Protection to Fictional Characters: The Possibility of Copymark. Retrieved February 12, 2023 from https://spicyip.com/2016/04/giving-due-protection-to-fictional-characters-the-possibility-of-copymark.html.
Sanja, K. (2021). Exploring copyright protection for fictional characters. Retrieved February 7, 2023 from
Whitten, S. (2023). “Barbie” is now the highest-grossing domestic film release in 2023. CNBC. Retrieved January 5, 2024 from https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/24/barbie-is-highest-grossing-domestic-film-release-in-2023.html
Legal Cases and Documents
Banner Universal Motion Pictures Ltd v Endemol Shine Group Ltd [2017] EWHC 2600 (Ch).
BGH, decision dated June 26, 1993 – I ZR 176/01, GRUR 2003, 876, 877.
Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices § 101. (2021). 3rd ed. U.S. Copyright Office. Chapter 300.
Daniels v. The Walt Disney Co. No. 18-55635, (9th Cir. 2020).
DC Comics v. Towle 802 F.3d 1012 (9th Cir. 2015).
Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonization of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society.
Green v. Broadcasting Corp. of New Zealand, (1989) 105 N.R. 236 (PC).
Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corp. 45 F.2d 119 (2d Cir. 1930).
Tribunal de grande instance (TGI) de Paris, Chambre civile 3, 21 mai 2008, 08/00609.
U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary. (1965). Supplementary Register's Report on the General Revision of the U.S. Copyright Law. (H.R. 4347 and S. 1006, 89th Cong.). https://www.copyright.gov/history/1961_registers_report.pdf.
Warner Bros. Pictures v. Columbia Broadcasting System, 216 F. 2d 945 (9th Cir. 1954).
Translated References into English
Moeini, Hamed; Ghaderi, Maryam al-Sadat. (2013). "Doctrine of Merger and Doctrine of Compulsory Display in Literary and Artistic Property." Medical Law Journal, (7).179-201. [In Persian]
Salehi Mazandarani, M., & Mohammadi, A. (2021). "Legal Protection of Fictional Characters in American Law; The object lesson for Iranian Law". Comparative Law Review, 12(1), 191-218. [In Persian]
Shakeri, Zahra. (2015). "Fair Use of Literary and Artistic Works: A Right for Society".  Private Law Studies, 45(2), 207-223. [In Persian]
 Shakri, Zahra. (2021). "Copyright infringement in the light of adaptation and appropriation", Legal Studies Quarterly, 13(4), 171-204. [In Persian]
Zahedi, Mehdi; Sharifzadeh, Shirin. (2021). "Freedom of Expression and the Principle of Dualism of Idea and Expression." Public Law Research Journal, 23(71), 95-127. [In Persian]
Zarr Kalām, Sattar, Literary and Artistic Property Rights. 5th Edition, (Tehran: SAMT Publishers, 2019). [In Persian]