Resolution

Question Q182

Database protection at national and international level

AIPPI

Considering:

a) databases greatly facilitate access to a vast amount and wide range of information and, as
a result, have and continue to acquire increasing commercial significance;

b) in today’s information age, databases are important for the functioning and development of
society and therefore legislators should provide incentives for the making of databases;

c) the making of databases often requires the investment of considerable human, technical
and financial resources whilst such databases can be copied or accessed at a fraction of the
cost needed to make them;

d) not all countries have specific legislation dealing with databases;

e) virtually all countries provide for copyright protection for databases which is limited to the
original selection or arrangement of their contents;

f) unfair competition law and contract law play a limited role in most countries in achieving the
protection of databases;

g) databases can be readily copied or accessed without regard to national boundaries;

h) there is large consensus on the need to improve protection of databases, the making of
which requires substantial investment, by means of harmonised international and/or local
legislation.

And whereas:

a) the purpose of this harmonised legislation is to ensure protection of the investment made in
databases against misappropriation and such legislation should be based upon a proprietary
right (a sui generis right or any other proprietary right);

b) such proprietary right should not extend to the information and data contained in the database;

c) virtually all countries that protect databases do so for both electronic and non-electronic
databases;

d) noting that this question did not address the issue of technical measures;

e) some Groups prefer to have a registration system and others do not;

f) WIPO has undertaken efforts to provide a basic proposal for provisions of an international
treaty for the protection of databases through a sui generis right.

Adopts the following Resolution:

1) AIPPI recommends that all countries provide for the protection of databases which require
substantial investment by means of the sui generis right or other proprietary right subject to
the provisions set out below.

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2) AIPPI supports the efforts WIPO has undertaken in drafting a basic proposal for the substantive provisions of a treaty on intellectual property in respect of databases (1996) and
calls for further efforts to be made to pursue a harmonised proposal in line with this
Resolution.

3) The definition of database as set out in the European Database Directive: “a collection of independent works, data or other materials which are arranged in a systematic or methodical
way, and are individually accessible by electronic or other means” is comprehensive and
may be followed by other legislators.

4) This protection should only be granted when qualitatively and/or quantitatively substantial
investment has been made in the obtaining, verification or presentation of the contents of
the database.

5) Harmonised protection for databases achieved through a sui generis right or other proprietary right should be available irrespective of any copyright protection.

6) Harmonised protection achieved through a sui generis right or other proprietary right should
cover both electronic and non-electronic databases.

7) Countries may choose to provide for a registration system or not but registration should not
be a requirement for this protection.

8) The right holder of a protected database should have the right to prohibit reproduction or
transfer to another medium (extraction) and making available (re-utilisation) of the whole or
a qualitatively or quantitatively substantial part of the contents of the database. Collection of
information or data from sources other than the protected database should not be prohibited
on this basis.

9) Limitations to protection through a sui generis right or other proprietary right should be provided such as for private use, scientific research, educational use, public security.

10) The term of duration should be at least ten years from the date of completion of the making
of the database.

11) Any changes to the contents of a database as a result of a substantial new investment
should trigger a new term of protection for the resulting database.

Further study:

AIPPI should study the interface between anti-trust law issues and sui generis or other proprietary rights for databases.

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Q182 国家和国际层面关于数据库的保护 (参考译文)

　　AIPPI 考虑到：

　　a. 数据库大大方便了接触大量的和广泛的信息，其结果已经并且继续获得增强的商业意义；

　　b. 在当今信息化时代，数据库对社会的定位和发展是重要的，因此立法者应该为建设数据库提供激励；

　　c. 建设数据库通常需要相当大的人力、技术和资金的投资，另一方面可以按照建设数据库所需花费的分数去复制或进入；

　　d. 并非所有国家都有针对数据库的专门立法；

　　e. 事实上所有国家对数据库提供的版权保护仅局限于原始选择和分类的内容；

　　f. 大多数国家的不当竞争法和比较法在获得数据库保护方面的作用有限；

　　g. 数据库可以不受国界的限制随时复制或进入；

　　h. 在需要改进数据库的保护方面存在着相当的一致，要做到这点，需要以协调国际和/或国内立法的方式进行实质性投资。

　　以及鉴于：

　　a. 协调立法的目的是保证对数据库的投资不被侵占, 并且这样的立法应该基于一个适当的权利（一项独特的权利或其它专有的权利）；

　　b. 这一专有的权利不能延伸到数据库所包含的信息和数据；

　　c. 事实上，保护数据库的国家都保护电子和非电子数据库；

　　d. 该问题不触及技术措施的课题；

　　e. 一些分会主张有一个注册制度，其它分会则不然；

　　f. WIPO已经应允在提出一项通过独特的权利来保护数据库的国际条约的条款的基本建议方面做出努力。

　　通过以下决议：

　　1．除了下面所规定的条款外，AIPPI建议所有以独特的或其它专有的权利的方式对数据库提供保护的国家需要进行实质性投资。

　　2．AIPPI支持WIPO 承担起草有关数据库方面知识产权实质性条款（1996）的条约的基本建议方面所做的工作，并且根据本决议，号召为贯彻协调性的建议做出更多的努力。

　　3．在欧洲数据库指引中，“以系统或有条理的方式改编的独立作品、数据或其他材料的集合体，并且以电子或其它方法能够个别进入”的数据库的定义是包罗万象的，并且可能被其他立法者所仿效。

　　4．这种保护只有在获得、验证或表现数据库内容时已经做出数量和质量上的实质性投资时才能被授予。

　　5．通过独特的权利或其它所有权获得的对数据库的协调保护应该不问任何版权的保护都有效。

　　6．通过独特的权利获得的对数据库的协调保护应包括电子和非电子数据库两者。

　　7．各国可以选择注册制度与否，但注册并非该保护之必须。

　　8．一个得到保护的数据库的权利持有人应有权禁止将数据库的全部或数和质的本质内容复制或者转让到其它介质上(摘编)，以及使用现成的（再利用）。在此基础上，从原始资料而不是受保护的数据库收集信息或数据不应被禁止。

　　9．应为诸如私人使用、科学研究、教育、公共安全对通过独特的权利或其他所有权得到的保护做出限制。

　　10．有效期限应从完成数据库制作之日起至少十年。

　　11．任何由于实质性的新投资发生的有关数据库的变化应该对由此产生的数据库引发新的保护期。

　　进一步研究：

　　AIPPI应该研究反托拉斯法争议点和数据库独特的或其它所有权利之间的分界面。