英國《數位經濟法》中網路服務提供者對侵權使用者的科技義務

Technical Obligations of Internet Service Providers against Online Infringement Activities in Digital Economy Act

由於網路非法檔案傳輸行為的盛行，對著作權的保障造成極大挑戰。近年來著作權法有增加網路服務提供者為防止使用者的侵權行為應負擔一定義務的立法潮流。除了要求網路服務提供者應移除使用者侵害著作權的內容，考慮到網路服務提供者應該分擔一部分的執法責任，包括美國、法國、紐西蘭、英國，近年都有進一步以自律方式、或法律規範要求網路服務提供者負起通知、警告非法侵權行為使用者責任、甚至終止使用者網路連線等科技義務的趨勢。其基本精神，即是要求網路服務提供者對疑似侵權的使用者採行一定的科技措施，分擔部分著作權法的執法責任，以促進著作權之保障。但要求網路服務業者負起通知、警告或終止非法傳輸檔案使用者連線服務的科技義務，涉及網路服務提供者之責任範圍、也涉及扼止網路非法侵權活動與保障網路使用者權益之間的衡量，一直存在爭議。
本文即擬由線上非法檔案傳輸對傳統著作權執法所產生之挑戰，探討對網路服務提供者對侵權使用者的科技義務所產生之背景，並以英國為例，介紹英國政府所採分階段實行自律協議、再推動立法其間的過程與討論，以期作為日後台灣相關立法規定之參考。

Rampant online copyright infringing activities have posed great challenges towards copyright protection across the world. In recent years rights holders started to advocate for technical obligations of internet service providers against suspected online users. These obligations may include monitoring internet users’ activities in order to locate infringements, sending warning messages to suspected users or even to terminate their internet connection for a certain period of time. Countries such as USA, France, New Zealand and UK, are all examples to take the above approach to fight against online copyright infringements, although each of them may vary in the substance and degree regarding the appropriateness of technical obligations, struggling to strike the balance between copyright protection, users’ rights and the limitations to pose duties on internet service providers.
This article begins with an introduction on the background of the trend to call for technical obligations of internet services providers against suspected online users. It takes the UK Digital Economy Act as an example to discuss the content of technical obligations of internet service providers against online infringements, in the hope to enrich the literature on this topic and offer further reference for the future copyright reform in Taiwan.