首先為2015年以前,可回溯至1980年代初期,在國際直播衛星與通訊線纜技術的助長下,電視擁有跨越國境之影響力,伴隨而來的是各會員國間規範矛盾與利益衝突問題,加上多年處於美國商業電視與電影之文化霸權陰影下7 ,故而催生「電視無疆界指令」(Directive 89/552/EEC, Television without Frontiers Directive, TVWF Directive),但因該指令產生諸多爭議,尤其是對「電視」與「類電視」(television-like)服務之具體區辨不明,歐盟遂於2007年修正該指令並更名為「視聽媒體服務指令」(Directive 2007/65/EC, Audiovisual Media Services Directive, AVMSD),將與傳統廣電服務提供相同節目內容的新興視聽媒體服務業者納入規範,至2010年則整併「電視無疆界指令」,其內容並未更動8,然而此階段尚未涵蓋視訊分享平臺。
其次則為2015年至2020年間,歐盟於2005年提出並於2015年通過之「數位單一市場戰略」(Digital Single Market Strategy)9,是作為補充與落實「歐盟單一市場」(European Single Market)的政策之一,在此戰略目標下,歐盟執委會(European Commission, EC,下簡稱「執委會」)設立三大支柱以確保實施取徑10,並陸續推動許多相關立修法。
2015年之公眾諮詢雖拍板將視訊分享平臺納入規管對象,然何謂視訊分享平臺服務之定義問題也緊接浮上檯面,就此,「修訂視聽媒體服務指令」規定,如「歐盟運作條約」(Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union)第56條與第57條之規範,其服務之主要目的,或其一獨立可分的片段,或服務的基本功能,為提供節目,或是提供使用者供應視訊,或將兩者均提供予公眾,以作為資訊、娛樂或教育之用途,視訊分享平臺提供者對於節目、使用者供應視訊並無編輯責任,且該服務係透過「歐盟電子通訊法典」(Directive, EU, 2018/1072, European Electronic Communication Code, EECC)第2條第1款定義下的電子通訊網路(Electronic Communications Networks, ECN)所接取;而視訊分享平臺服務之編排(organisation),特別在陳列、標籤及排序的方式上,是由服務提供者或演算法所決定19。
在此定義之下,由於以分享資訊、娛樂為主要目的的社群媒體服務(social media services)在近年蓬勃發展,亦使得UGC服務的重要性隨之攀升,進而衍生該等社群媒體服務是否適用之疑義。對此,執委會表示,雖評估服務是否符合定義要件係屬各會員國之權限,然而含有分享節目或UGC等視訊內容基本功能的社群媒體平臺,亦在規範涵攝之範圍內21。換言之,只要提供之視聽內容服務並非網路平臺業者之附屬、次要之部分,即受該指令之管轄,並須負擔相關義務22。
「歐洲視聽媒體服務管制組織」(European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services, ERGA)亦針對「修訂視聽媒體服務指令」中較複雜且抽象條款,提出更完整的解釋性報告與指引措施,諸如視訊分享平臺與影音部落客(vlogger)之性質界定,以及無障礙近用等議題30。
(三)不當或違法內容處理面向
雖「視聽媒體服務指令」的內容管制措施,主要係以「視聽媒體服務」(audiovisual media service, AVMS)為規管原則,惟如前所述,縱然視訊分享平臺業者對於提供之內容並無編輯責任,但通常會透過自動程式或演算法推送相關內容,故具有不同於一般社群網站之特殊性與影響力,故歐盟仍使其負有義務提供適當措施,共同防免使用者接觸含有煽動暴力、仇恨、挑撥激憤恐怖主義、兒童情色等內容之節目、UGC影片或商業視聽通訊,該等內容對實體社會有重大危害。
8Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2010 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the provision of audiovisual media services (Audiovisual Media Services Directive)(Codified version).
11European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and The Committee of the Regions: Online Platforms and the Digital Single Market Opportunities and Challenges for Europe, COM/2016/0288 final [hereinafter Communication on Online Platform].
12European Commission, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and The Committee of the Regions: Tackling Illegal Content Online towards an Enhanced Responsibility of Online Platforms, COM(2017)555 final [hereinafter Communication on Tackling Illegal Content Online].
13Commission Recommendation (EU) 2018/334 of 1 March 2018 on Measures to Effectively Tackle Illegal Content Online, 2018 O.J. (L 63) 50 [hereinafter Recommendation on Tackling Illegal Content Online].
15Directive (Eu) 2018/1808 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 2018 amending Directive 2010/13/EU on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the provision of audiovisual media services (Audiovisual Media Services Directive) in view of changing market realities [hereinafter Revised AVMSD].
16Revised AVMSD, ch 9.
17《單一市場數位服務暨修正電子商務指令之規章》(Regulation(EU)2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC),簡稱《數位服務法》。
22Mark D. Cole & Christina Etteldorf, Research for CULT Committee,
Implementation of the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive,
European Parliament, Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion
Policies p.24 (2022).
25Communication from the Commission, Guidelines on the practical application of the essential functionality criterion of the definition of a ‘video-sharing platform service’ under the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (2020/C 223/02).
26Id. at p.6.
27Id. at p.7.
28Id. at p.7-8.
29Id. at p.8-9.
30See generally ERGA, The Implementation(s) of Article 28b AVMSD: National Transposition Approaches and Measures by Video-Sharing Platforms (2022); ERGA, How to Identify and Localise Vloggers and Regulate Their Commercial Communication? (2022); ERGA, Deliverable: Guidance and Recommendations Concerning Implementation of Article 28b (2021).
35Directive (EU) 2019/790 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April, 2019 on Copyright and Related Rights in the Digital Single Market and Amending Directives 96/9/EC and 2001/29/ EC [hereinafter DSM Copyright Directive].
38See João Pedro Quintais & Sebastian Felix Schwemer, The Interplay between the Digital Services Act and Sector Regulation: How Special is Copyright?, 2022 EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF RISK REGULATION, 8(2022), https://doi.org/doi:10.1017/err.2022.1.
39DSM Copyright Directive, Rec. 66.
40DSM Copyright Directive, Art. 17(4).
41DSM Copyright Directive, Art. 17(9).
42Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council Empty, Guidance on Article 17 of Directive 2019/790 on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, COM(2021) 288 final.