科技和著作權的發展間一直有著相互影響的微妙關係。從印刷術的發明到數位科技的出現，著作權法為了因應新科技引起的新爭議而持續修正，不斷的面對究竟要將著作權的範圍擴大或縮小的選擇。數位科技的發展再加上網際網路科技之資源豐富、連接範圍廣泛、消除著作散布的地理距離障礙等特性，使著作可被隨意傳送、複製、儲存或下載。也因為網路上資訊的流通性驚人，網路使用者可自由的在網路上下載或上傳數位著作，對著作權法造成有史以來最嚴重的挑戰。 在網際網路和數位科技結合的時代下，著作利用人利用新科技，大量違法利用著作，著作權利人也因此逐漸失去對著作的控制能力，嚴重影響著作權利人個人的利益，此現象破壞了著作權法所欲維持之公益和私益平衡。為了遏止大量出現之侵權行為，數位權利管理機制也因此而產生，以加強權利人對著作的控制能力。但數位權利管理機制的運作，也產生了破壞合理使用原則、第一次銷售原則及公共領域之爭議。 本論文將證明數位權利管理機制，在數位時代下是不可或缺的著作管理工具，並且從合理使用原則的存在意義和內涵開始討論，證明數位權利管理機制並未破壞了合理使用原則，或損害了公共利益，而是因為新科技的出現，使合理使用原則的範圍和性質亦因隨之改變。數位權利管理機制不但可解決嚴重之侵權現象或著作權人控制力下降之問題，亦未侵害著作權法中之重要原則－合理使用，實為增進著作權利人個人利益、消除侵權行為，並且維持公、私益平衡之重要工具。 The development of technology and copyright has the specific and interactive relationships. Since the creation of the printing and appearance of the digital technology, the copyright has been continuous to be revised due to the new disputes form the new technology, in which involve the choices of enlargement or reduction of the copyright. The development of the digital technology and existence of the internet, which have the characteristics of the abundant resources, the huge contact range and shortening the geographic obstacles, make the possibility of transmission, copy, storage or download. And because of the great liquidity of the information, the abilities of the users to be free to download or to upload the digital works on line challenge the copyright law throughout history. In the era of the combination of the internet and digital technology, the users offend against the law to cite the works with the new technology; therefore, the owners gradually lose their rights of the works, seriously influencing the owners’ benefits and destroying the balance of public and private interests maintained by the copyright law. For the reasons that restrain the infringement act, the digital right management has been occurred to strengthen the owners’ ability to control the works. But the exercises of the digital right management destroy the fair use, the first-sale doctrine and the argument of public domain. This thesis proved that the digital right management is indispensable management tools in the digital age, and argued that the digital right management will not destroy the fair use or public interests from the angle of existence and meaning of the fair use. But the new technology changes the scope and property of the fair use. The digital right management not only solves the problems of infringement act and the reduction of owners’ control abilities, but also preserves the significant principle in the copyright law- fair use. It increases the owners’ benefits, eliminates the infringement act and maintains the balance of public and private interests.
