Zakres ochrony utworu naukowego – znaczenie wyodrębnienia formy oraz treści
Scope of Protection for Scientific Works – Relevance of the Difference Between Form and Content

Summary/Abstract: The scope of protection of scientific works from copyrights laws violation – the relevance of the division of form and content. The results of scientific work represent common goods. Nevertheless permitting fraudulent interceptions of scientific works can be harmful for science. The peculiar character of scientific works provides a myriad of problems, which occur when there is a necessity to ascertain the range to be provided for protection of this type of works. Article 1. 21 polish Copyright Law from 4 February 1994 states: “Only the manner of expression may be subject to protection. Protection shall not be afforded to inventions, ideas, procedures, methods, principles of operation, or mathematical concepts”. It goes without saying that referring to the thesis to protect solely the form of the scientific works extensively eases the settlement of many disputes. This clearly presented criterion effectively enables us to pin down if a scientific work was created breaching others’ copyrights or if it is an independent work stemming from the imagination and knowledge of the person which is claiming to be the author. The criterion of form guarantees the objectivity of the evaluation made, because it is certifiable. The unique form of expression of the author in the process of discovering the objective truth, allows us to determine the whole research process. While investigating the possible violation of the copyrights of another person the comparison of forms between different works represents for us an easier gotten proof. But that doesn´t mean that the content shouldn´t be protected either. The content deserves protection when it exhibits characteristics of individual creativity. This concept especially refers to the type of scientific works where it is difficult or almost impossible to set bounds between form and content. In this kind of cases it is of importance to perceive a scientific work as a harmonious whole. Copyright law protects the fusion between form and content and individual creativity as a scientific work. This statement doesn´t change the fact that the attainments in science are common goods and we all not only can use them but even have the obligation to do that.

• Details
• Contents