功能等同原則視域下NFT數字藏品交易的法律定性——兼論虛擬財產納入物權法調整的新路徑

The Legal Characterization of NFT Digital Works Transactions under the Principle of Functional Equivalence: A New Approach for Virtual Property being incorporated into Property Law

NFT數字藏品的法律定性問題實際上是關於虛擬財產確權的“舊題新論”。區塊鏈技術的創新應用為虛擬財產的確權開闢了一條漸進式、要素化的全新路徑，即在細分虛擬財產類別的基礎上，借助電子商務領域中功能等同原則的指引，通過靜態可支配和動態可公示兩個核心要素的功能等同，將NFT視為實體意義上的“物”。對於實踐中NFT數字藏品交易的法律定性，“債權轉讓說”將NFT交易合同視為NFT本身，混淆了合同與合同給付對象之間的本質界分，同時也與NFT權利人的利益不相符；“信息網絡傳播權說”未能準確區分NFT“鑄造”和“交易”兩個傳播階段的不同特點，忽視了NFT以功能等同的有形載體轉移而實現傳播的特殊屬性。只有將NFT交易功能等同為所有權轉讓並適用著作權法中的發行權規則，才能邏輯自洽地揭示其交易本質。

The legal characterization of NFT digital works is essentially a matter of the right attributes of virtual property. The innovative application of block-chain technology in the field of digital works ownership management provides a gradual, new approach with elements for virtual property to be incorporated into property law. Upon the basis of categorizing virtual property and with the guidance of the principle of functional equivalence in the field of electronic commerce, NFTs can be considered as physical thing. For the legal definition of NFT digital works, the liability transfer theory regards the NFT transaction contract as NFT itself, which does not differentiate the essential difference between the contract and the subject matter of the contract, ignoring the functional equivalence in the transfer of property right. The information network communication theory fails to differentiate the different features of two communication phases of NFT: making and dealing, ignoring the special feature of realizing communication through the transfer of tangible media under the principle of functional equivalence. It is the functional equivalence of the NFT transaction to the transfer of ownership and the application of the distribution right of the copyrighted property right that logically reveals the nature of the transaction.