論虛擬角色之智慧財產保護界線—以商標權及不公平競爭規範為核心

Abstract

於角色經濟及科技創新時代，虛擬角色與人類真實生活之連結日益緊密。虛擬角色現身於日常用品中、成為心靈寄託，更可能承載特定文化意涵；人類亦能更直接地體驗虛擬角色之世界、與之互動，並以人工智慧技術開創新興角色型態，真實及虛擬之界線可謂日漸模糊。面對此發展趨勢，智慧財產權領域如何彈性因應，並於虛擬角色的法律保護範圍及公眾自由使用空間之間劃定適當界線，實須深入研析。 本文首先將介紹虛擬角色之定義及特性，並簡述我國相關產業現況及法律議題，以彰顯虛擬角色之特色，以及其在我國的研究價值與重要性。其次，將進一步比較美國與我國之智慧財產權法對虛擬角色保護界線之異同。於研究範圍設定上，由於美國法肯認得以著作權及商標個別保護虛擬角色，而我國法對虛擬角色則尚未明確肯認著作權保護，主要採取商標權為主，公平交易法為輔之保護模式，故本文以美國著作權及商標權之保護，對照我國之商標權及公平交易法保護，作為研究核心。 經由兩國法律制度、實務判決及學說見解分析，本文發現美國實務於著作權與商標權並行保護及商標權接續保護下，曾出現保護範圍過度擴張的現象，遂逐步透過強調言論自由保障及嚴格檢視商標權範圍，以調整偏移之保護界線。相較之下，我國實務於商標權適用上對虛擬角色概念尚欠認識，亦嚴格判斷商標使用與否，實質上權利範圍較為限縮；而公平交易法自2015年修正後，表徵仿冒規範之保護範圍大幅縮減，概括條款亦受限於高適用門檻及補充原則，實務運用似難以充分發揮補充功能。整體觀之，兩國於虛擬角色之智財保護範圍、實務發展趨勢，以及實務關注重心上均呈現顯著差異，故我國若欲強化虛擬角色領域發展，尚有調整空間。 最終，本文以美國之發展經驗為借鑑，反思我國未來可能之調整方向。於商標法及公平交易法面向，本文建議應加強對於虛擬角色概念及特性之認知，並適度調整保護範圍，使智財法律適用得以切合產業實務所需。期能為虛擬角色建立更完善靈活之智財法保護，裨益未來相關產業蓬勃發展。

In the era of character-driven economies and technological innovation, the connection between fictional characters and real human life has become increasingly intimate. Fictional characters now appear in everyday products, offer emotional companionship, and often embody specific cultural meanings. At the same time, advances in artificial intelligence allow people to interact with fictional worlds more directly and even create new characters, blurring the boundary between the real and the virtual. These developments raise important questions about how intellectual property law can flexibly adapt to protect fictional characters while safeguarding the public’s freedom of use. This thesis first introduces the definition and characteristics of fictional characters and provides an overview of the current state of relevant industries and legal issues in Taiwan, aiming to highlight the uniqueness of fictional characters and the importance of research in this area. It then compares the approaches of the United States and Taiwan regarding the scope of legal protection for fictional characters under intellectual property law. Given that U.S. law recognizes the protection of fictional characters under both copyright and trademark law, whereas Taiwan has not clearly affirmed copyright protection and instead relies primarily on trademark law and secondarily on the Fair Trade Act. Accordingly, this study focuses on analyzing the U.S. legal framework of copyright and trademark protection in comparison with Taiwan’s use of trademark law and the Fair Trade Act. Through a comparative analysis of the two jurisdictions’ legal systems, court decisions, and academic perspectives, this thesis finds that in the U.S., the concurrent protection of fictional characters under both copyright and trademark law, as well as the sequential assertion of trademark rights following copyright protection, has at times resulted in overprotection. In response, U.S. courts have increasingly emphasized freedom of expression and have applied stricter scrutiny to trademark claims. In contrast, Taiwanese courts have shown limited recognition of fictional characters within trademark law and apply strict criteria to determine trademark use, leading to narrower protection in practice. Furthermore, since the 2015 amendment of the Fair Trade Act, protection against the imitation of distinctive symbols has been curtailed, and the general clause has remained difficult to apply effectively due to its high threshold and supplementary role. Given the significant differences between the two jurisdictions in terms of IP protection scope, practical trends, and legal priorities regarding fictional characters, Taiwan still has room to refine its legal framework to foster industry growth. Drawing on the U.S. experience, this thesis concludes by proposing future directions for legal reform in Taiwan. From the perspectives of trademark law and the Fair Trade Act, it recommends enhancing the understanding of the concept and characteristics of fictional characters and appropriately adjusting the scope of protection to better align intellectual property laws with industry practices. Ultimately, this study aims to develop a more comprehensive and adaptable legal framework for fictional characters, thereby supporting the sustainable growth of related industries in the future.