Software als Schutzgegenstand des Europäischen Urheberrechts

Document

Cited in

Author	Christian Heinze
Position	Dr. iur., LL.M. (Cambridge), Wissenschaftlicher Referent, Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches und internationales Privatrecht, Hamburg.
Pages	97-113

2011

Abstract: After 20 years of silence, two recent

references from the Czech Republic (Bezpečnostní

softwarová asociace, Case C-393/09) and from the

English High Court (SAS Institute, Case C-406/10)

touch upon several questions that are fundamen-

tal for the extent of copyright protection for soft-

ware under the Computer Program Directive 91/250

(now 2009/24) and the Information Society Direc-

tive 2001/29. In Case C-393/09, the European Court

of Justice held that “the object of the protection con-

ferred by that directive is the expression in any form

of a computer program which permits reproduction

in different computer languages, such as the source

code and the object code.” As “any form of expression

of a computer program must be protected from the

moment when its reproduction would engender the

reproduction of the computer program itself, thus en-

abling the computer to perform its task,” a graphical

user interface (GUI) is not protected under the Com-

puter Program Directive, as it does “not enable the

reproduction of that computer program, but merely

constitutes one element of that program by means

of which users make use of the features of that pro-

gram.” While the definition of computer program and

the exclusion of GUIs mirror earlier jurisprudence in

the Member States and therefore do not come as a

surprise, the main significance of Case C-393/09 lies

in its interpretation of the Information Society Direc-

tive. In confirming that a GUI “can, as a work, be pro-

tected by copyright if it is its author’s own intellectual

creation,” the ECJ continues the Europeanization of

the definition of “work” which began in Infopaq (Case

C-5/08). Moreover, the Court elaborated this concept

further by excluding expressions from copyright pro-

tection which are dictated by their technical function.

Even more importantly, the ECJ held that a television

broadcasting of a GUI does not constitute a commu-

nication to the public, as the individuals cannot have

access to the “essential element characterising the

interface,” i.e., the interaction with the user. The ex-

clusion of elements dictated by technical functions

from copyright protection and the interpretation of

the right of communication to the public with refer-

ence to the “essential element characterising” the

work may be seen as welcome limitations of copy-

right protection in the interest of a free public domain

which were not yet apparent in Infopaq. While Case

C-393/09 has given a first definition of the computer

program, the pending reference in Case C-406/10 is

likely to clarify the scope of protection against non-

literal copying, namely in how far the protection ex-

tends beyond the text of the source code to the de-

sign of a computer program and where the limits of

protection lie as regards the functionality of a pro-

gram and mere “principles and ideas.” In light of the

travaux préparatoires, it is submitted that the ECJ is

also likely to grant protection for the design of a com-

puter program, while excluding both the functional-

ity and underlying principles and ideas from protec-

tion under the European copyright directives.

Software als Schutzgegenstand des

Europäischen Urheberrechts

by Christian Heinze, Hamburg

Dr. iur., LL.M. (Cambridge), Wissenschaftlicher Referent, Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches und

internationales Privatrecht, Hamburg.

Everybody may disseminate this ar ticle by electr onic means and make it ava ilable for download under the terms a nd

conditions of the Digit al Peer Publishing Licence (DPPL). A copy of the license tex t may be obtained at http://nbn-resolving.

de/urn:nbn:de:00 09-dppl-v3-en8 .

Recommended citation: Chr istian Heinze, Software als Schutzgegenstand des Europäischen U rheberrechts, 2 (2011) JIPITEC

97, para. 1.

Keywords: Computerprogramm, Software, Richtlinie 2009/24, Richtlinie 91/250, Richtlinie 2001/29, Pro-

grammcode, Steuerungsfunktion, Benutzeroberfläche, Idee(n) und Grundsätze, Algorithmen, Pro-

grammiersprachen, Individualität, Werkbegriff, öffentliche Wiedergabe, Programmstruktur, Schnitt-

stelle, Individualität, Originalität

2011

Christian Heinze



  

       

    

   

   

   







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





  

 

 

 



 

  

 

  

   











  

   



   



  

   



A. Computerprogramme

zwischen Urheberrecht und

Sonderrechtsschutz

1 













   

   















  





  





2



 

  

   









  

  



   



  



B. Schutzgegenstand und

Schutzvoraussetzungen nach der

Computerprogrammrichtlinie

3





  

   

      

  



I. Schutzgegenstand

4

 





  

  









 

   



 

  

 

   













1. Die Definition des Computerprogramms

durch Programmcode und

Steuerungsfunktion

5

   

 

  

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Advanced A.I. technology developed exclusively by vLex editorially enriches legal information to make it accessible, with instant translation into 14 languages for enhanced discoverability and comparative research.
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Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.

Subscribers are able to see a list of all the documents that have cited the case.

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

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Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Search over 120 million documents from over 100 countries including primary and secondary collections of legislation, case law, regulations, practical law, news, forms and contracts, books, journals, and more.
Thousands of Data Sources

Updated daily, vLex brings together legal information from over 750 publishing partners, providing access to over 2,500 legal and news sources from the world’s leading publishers.
Find What You Need, Quickly

Advanced A.I. technology developed exclusively by vLex editorially enriches legal information to make it accessible, with instant translation into 14 languages for enhanced discoverability and comparative research.
Over 2 million registered users

Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.

Subscribers are able to see the revised versions of legislation with amendments.

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Request your trial

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Search over 120 million documents from over 100 countries including primary and secondary collections of legislation, case law, regulations, practical law, news, forms and contracts, books, journals, and more.
Thousands of Data Sources

Updated daily, vLex brings together legal information from over 750 publishing partners, providing access to over 2,500 legal and news sources from the world’s leading publishers.
Find What You Need, Quickly

Advanced A.I. technology developed exclusively by vLex editorially enriches legal information to make it accessible, with instant translation into 14 languages for enhanced discoverability and comparative research.
Over 2 million registered users

Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.

Subscribers are able to see any amendments made to the case.

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Request your trial

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Search over 120 million documents from over 100 countries including primary and secondary collections of legislation, case law, regulations, practical law, news, forms and contracts, books, journals, and more.
Thousands of Data Sources

Updated daily, vLex brings together legal information from over 750 publishing partners, providing access to over 2,500 legal and news sources from the world’s leading publishers.
Find What You Need, Quickly

Advanced A.I. technology developed exclusively by vLex editorially enriches legal information to make it accessible, with instant translation into 14 languages for enhanced discoverability and comparative research.
Over 2 million registered users

Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.

Subscribers are able to see a visualisation of a case and its relationships to other cases. An alternative to lists of cases, the Precedent Map makes it easier to establish which ones may be of most relevance to your research and prioritise further reading. You also get a useful overview of how the case was received.

Request your trial

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Search over 120 million documents from over 100 countries including primary and secondary collections of legislation, case law, regulations, practical law, news, forms and contracts, books, journals, and more.
Thousands of Data Sources

Updated daily, vLex brings together legal information from over 750 publishing partners, providing access to over 2,500 legal and news sources from the world’s leading publishers.
Find What You Need, Quickly

Advanced A.I. technology developed exclusively by vLex editorially enriches legal information to make it accessible, with instant translation into 14 languages for enhanced discoverability and comparative research.
Over 2 million registered users

Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.

Subscribers are able to see the list of results connected to your document through the topics and citations Vincent found.

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Request your trial

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Search over 120 million documents from over 100 countries including primary and secondary collections of legislation, case law, regulations, practical law, news, forms and contracts, books, journals, and more.
Thousands of Data Sources

Updated daily, vLex brings together legal information from over 750 publishing partners, providing access to over 2,500 legal and news sources from the world’s leading publishers.
Find What You Need, Quickly

Advanced A.I. technology developed exclusively by vLex editorially enriches legal information to make it accessible, with instant translation into 14 languages for enhanced discoverability and comparative research.
Over 2 million registered users

Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.

Software als Schutzgegenstand des Europäischen Urheberrechts

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users