Theoretical Research on the Idea-Expression Dichotomy

思想与表达二分法是著作权法的基本原则，旨在区分受保护的表达与不受保护的思想。本文从理论内涵、例外规则及司法实践三个维度展开研究。理论层面，梳理了思 想与表达的定义及二分法的起源，指出思想属于公共领域，而表达则受法律保护。例外规则部分探讨了合并原则与情景原则，分析其在司法实践中的适用条件与限制。司法实践方面，结合我国指导案例81号，论证了必要场景和有限表达不受著作权保护的情形。研究表明，二分法在平衡创作者权益与社会公共利益中发挥关键作用，但其适用仍需结合个案具体分析。未来立法应进一步明确思想与表达的界限，以应对数字时代版权保护的新挑战。The dichotomy of ideas and expressions is a fundamental principle of copyright[-rId9-] law, aiming to distinguish protected expressions from unprotected ideas. This article conducts research from three dimensions: Theoretical connotation, exception rules and judicial practice. At the theoretical level, the definitions of thought and expression and the origin of dichotomy were sorted out. It was pointed out that thought belongs to the public domain, while expression is protected by law. The section on exceptional rules explores the consolidation principle and the situational principle, and analyzes their application conditions and limitations in judicial practice. In terms of judicial practice, combined with guiding Case No. 81 of our country, it has demonstrated the circumstances where necessary scenarios and limited expressions are not protected by copyright. Studies show that the dichotomy plays a key role in balancing the rights and interests of creators and the public interest of society, but its application still needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Future legislation should further clarify the boundaries between thought and expression to address the new challenges of copyright protection in the digital age.