Video game rules,as ideas under idea/expression dichotomy,should not be protected by copyright law.Considering video game rules as expressions on the ground that they can be expressed in the form of continuous motion pictures confuses the concepts of"expressible"and"expression".Protecting video game rules by analogy with traditional works,such as storyline,creates inconsistent protection standards for similar objects.The doctrine of"overall protection"for works still relies on idea/expression dichotomy,and does not provide any theoretical basis for copyright protection of video game rules.The view that the creative space is the core standards overrides idea/expression dichotomy and would lead to the conclusion that any intangible intellectual work,or even the fruits of labor,can be considered works.Judicial practices that regard video game rules as a new type of original expression and grant them copyright protection could lead to inappropriate conclusions on copyright ownership and distort the standard for originality.
video game rulescopyright lawcategory of worksidea/expression dichotomyanti-unfair competition law