In the modern society, culture and various mass communications have been rapidly developed and along with this trend, people could encounter with broadcasting program through media like TV and radio. What is essentially used in a process of producing ...
In the modern society, culture and various mass communications have been rapidly developed and along with this trend, people could encounter with broadcasting program through media like TV and radio. What is essentially used in a process of producing broadcasting program is television script. It is considered to be included in a category of dramatic works in terms of the fact that it is naturally a literary works in a broad category while it has to have dramatic elements indispensably.
In other words, television script is a means of imaging it as literary works and in a process of and as a result of imagining, detailed expression and idea of a writer are represented. Development of various mass communications and internet in the modern society brought forth cultural development and its globalization upon us and as various works were diversified and digitalized, its convenient access was enabled as well.
However, various copyright infringement case such as unauthorised reproduction, distribution and typically plagiarism is increased day by day and it became a problem as a frequently occurred global dispute. For example, a controversy that a drama production company plagiarized a part or whole of animation of a certain cartoonist, other controversy that a singer plagiarized original song of other signer and besides, controversy, dispute relevant to copyright infringement of film, photo and computer program have been taken place consistently.
Generally, in order to have copyright infringement status to be acknowledged, first, original works should be belonged to the plaintiff and it is required to determine whether infringed works was based on the original works and there is any substantial similarity between the two art works. When observing infringement standard, most of trial precedents specify it by applying a concept of 'on the ground of(accessability)' as a subjective requirement and 'substantial similarity'as an objective requirement.
In a process of determining copyright infringement status first, idea and expression shall be discriminated based on dichotomy of idea-expression. Its reason is that under copyright act, it protects only detailed expression of the literary works. And in connection with accessability, whether infringed works was created by original works will be determined and acknowledged by accessability status to the works of the plaintiff by the defendant and noticeable similarity between the two literary works.
Furthermore, if accessability should be acknowledged, substantial similarity status between the two works would be discriminated. In order to determine substantial similarity of literary works, a case that generally comprehensive similarity is acknowledged by reproducing fundamental essence of the works and other case that literary similarity between the two works is acknowledged by reproducing detailed contents shall be considered. Therefore, substantial similarity status shall be generally determined after comprehensively, non-literary observing, analyzing each expression element of the works and then observing partially, literary similar parts additionally.
However, in considerable number of court precedents, copyright infringement status is differently judged depending on each case. Because at the time of determining infringement status, it is a general practice to apply dichotomy of idea-expression as a standard discriminating idea and expression is different depending on each case and theory of such standard is also not consistent.
And as there are several methods in determining substantial similarity and approach method is different depending on each case, it shows also inconsistent practice. In addition, in standard of copyright infringement, as a written provision is not specified in copyright act and determining standard is different depending on each country based on its ambiguous concept, there is a difficulty in solving a dispute.
Therefore, in keeping pace with growing broadcasting market, consistent position of the court would be required in reinforcing copyright system and determining copyright infringement and systematic, detailed analytic research shall be performed in determining substantial similarity.