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Till förmån för upphovsmannen? - En undersökning av rättsläget före och efter NJA 2025 s. 162

Björkman Krantz, Olga LU (2025) JURM02 20252
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Specifikationsprincipen har under många år varit föremål för diskussion i doktrin och rättspraxis på upphovsrättens område. Principen, som gäller för tolkning av avtal om överlåtelse eller upplåtelse av upphovsrätt, kan definieras som att inget mer av upphovsrätten än vad som uttryckligen anges i avtalsvillkoren ska omfattas av avtalet och att oklara eller omfattande rättighetsöverlåtelser ska tolkas restriktivt till förmån för upphovsmannen. Till förmån för upphovsmannen innebär i detta fall att upphovsmannen ska få behålla så mycket som möjligt av upphovsrätten. Principen grundar sig i en strävan efter att skydda upphovsmännen, som ofta intar en svagare ställning avtalsrättsligt gentemot den eller de som vill utnyttja verket. Dessutom är... (More)
Specifikationsprincipen har under många år varit föremål för diskussion i doktrin och rättspraxis på upphovsrättens område. Principen, som gäller för tolkning av avtal om överlåtelse eller upplåtelse av upphovsrätt, kan definieras som att inget mer av upphovsrätten än vad som uttryckligen anges i avtalsvillkoren ska omfattas av avtalet och att oklara eller omfattande rättighetsöverlåtelser ska tolkas restriktivt till förmån för upphovsmannen. Till förmån för upphovsmannen innebär i detta fall att upphovsmannen ska få behålla så mycket som möjligt av upphovsrätten. Principen grundar sig i en strävan efter att skydda upphovsmännen, som ofta intar en svagare ställning avtalsrättsligt gentemot den eller de som vill utnyttja verket. Dessutom är relationen mellan en upphovsman och dennes verk speciell och anses vara särskilt skyddsvärd.
Specifikationsprincipens status har varit omdiskuterad, bland annat eftersom Högsta domstolen (HD) i flera fall underlåtit att tillämpa principen samtidigt som den fortsatt att tillämpas av lägre instanser. Inom doktrinen har det funnits delade meningar om principens giltighet och tillämpningsområde. I NJA 2025 s. 162 Deckarserien konstaterade HD slutligen att inga särskilda tolkningsprinciper ska gälla inom upphovsrätten. Däremot kan särskilda upphovsrättsliga hänsyn tas vid tolkning av upphovsrättsavtal, och hänsynen ska då samverka med vad som gäller för avtalstolkning i övrigt.
I uppsatsen används en rättsdogmatisk metod för att undersöka specifikationsprincipens utveckling utifrån rättspraxis och doktrin. Syftet är att visa att en stor del av specifikationsprincipen numera återfinns i de särskilda upphovsrättsliga hänsyn som följer av Deckarserien, samt att skillnaderna mellan principen och hänsynen främst består i dess kategorisering och tillämpning. Frågeställningarna rör Deckarseriens förhållande till tidigare praxis och hur avtalstolkningen inom upphovsrätt kan påverkas av domen, samt vad det innebär att ta särskilda upphovsrättsliga hänsyn och hur sådana hänsyn inordnas hierarkiskt i förhållande till andra avtalstolkningsregler.
Diskussionskapitlet visar att de särskilda upphovsrättsliga hänsynen till stor del ska tillgodose samma intressen som specifikationsprincipen. De särskilda upphovsrättsliga hänsynen ska utgöra en av flera faktorer som domstolen kan välja mellan efter att ha försökt fastställa en gemensam partsvilja och därefter försökt att tolka avtalet utifrån objektiva grunder med utgångspunkt i ordalydelsen, men innan generella tolkningsregler som oklarhets- eller minimumregeln kan användas. Redan efter NJA 2004 s. 363 Röda Korset diskuterades det om specifikationsprincipen saknade stöd i HD:s praxis. De särskilda hän- synen skapades därefter i NJA 2010 s. 559 Skivomslaget för att senare vidareutvecklas i Deckarserien. Deckarserien kan ge upphov till ett flexiblare tolkningsförfarande inom upphovsrätten, där domstolen har större möjlighet att anpassa tolkningen utifrån omständigheterna i det enskilda fallet. (Less)
Abstract
The specification principle has for many years been a subject of discussion in legal doctrine and case law regarding copyright. The principle, which applies to the interpretation of contracts concerning the transfer or licensing of copyright, can be defined as meaning that no more of the copyright than what is expressly stated in the contract shall be covered by the agreement, and that unclear or extensive transfers of rights shall be interpreted restrictively in favour of the author. In this context, “in favour of the author” means that the author should retain as much of the copyright as possible. The principle is founded from a desire to protect authors, who often obtain a weaker contractual position compared to the party or parties... (More)
The specification principle has for many years been a subject of discussion in legal doctrine and case law regarding copyright. The principle, which applies to the interpretation of contracts concerning the transfer or licensing of copyright, can be defined as meaning that no more of the copyright than what is expressly stated in the contract shall be covered by the agreement, and that unclear or extensive transfers of rights shall be interpreted restrictively in favour of the author. In this context, “in favour of the author” means that the author should retain as much of the copyright as possible. The principle is founded from a desire to protect authors, who often obtain a weaker contractual position compared to the party or parties seeking to use their work. Moreover, the relationship between an author and their work is unique and considered particularly worthy of protection.
The status of the specification principle has been debated, partly because the Swedish Supreme Court has refrained from applying the principle in several cases, while lower courts have continued to use it. In legal doctrine, opinions have been divided regarding the principle’s validity and scope. In NJA 2025 s. 162 Deckarserien, the Swedish Supreme Court ultimately stated that no special interpretative principles should apply within copyright law. However, specific copyright-related considerations may be taken into account when interpreting copyright contracts, and such considerations shall cooperate with the general rules of contract interpretation.
This thesis employs a legal-dogmatic method to examine the development of the specification principle based on case law and legal doctrine. The aim is to show that a significant part of the specification principle is now reflected in the specific copyright-related considerations established in Deckarserien, and that the main differences between the principle and these considerations relate to their categorisation and application. The research questions concern how Deckarserien relates to previous case law, how the judgment may influence contract interpretation within copyright law, what it means to take specific copyright-related considerations into account, and how such considerations are hierarchically positioned in relation to other interpretative rules.
The discussion chapter shows that the specific copyright-related considerations largely serve the same interests as the specification principle. These considerations are intended to function as one of several factors available to the court once it has attempted to establish a common will of the parties and then sought to interpret the agreement on objective grounds, beginning with its wording, but before applying general interpretative rules such as the contra stipulatorem rule or the minimum rule. As early as after NJA 2004 s. 363 Röda Korset, it was debated whether the specification principle lacked support in the Swedish Supreme Court’s case law.
The specific considerations were subsequently introduced in NJA 2010 s. 559 Skivomslaget, and then further developed in Deckarserien. Deckarserien may give rise to a more flexible interpretative approach within copyright law, allowing the courts greater room to adapt the interpretation to the circumstances of the individual case. (Less)
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author
Björkman Krantz, Olga LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
In favour of the author? - An examination of the legal position before and after NJA 2025 s. 162
course
JURM02 20252
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
Avtalsrätt, immaterialrätt
language
Swedish
id
9216602
date added to LUP
2026-01-15 13:12:08
date last changed
2026-01-15 13:12:08
@misc{9216602,
  abstract     = {{The specification principle has for many years been a subject of discussion in legal doctrine and case law regarding copyright. The principle, which applies to the interpretation of contracts concerning the transfer or licensing of copyright, can be defined as meaning that no more of the copyright than what is expressly stated in the contract shall be covered by the agreement, and that unclear or extensive transfers of rights shall be interpreted restrictively in favour of the author. In this context, “in favour of the author” means that the author should retain as much of the copyright as possible. The principle is founded from a desire to protect authors, who often obtain a weaker contractual position compared to the party or parties seeking to use their work. Moreover, the relationship between an author and their work is unique and considered particularly worthy of protection.
The status of the specification principle has been debated, partly because the Swedish Supreme Court has refrained from applying the principle in several cases, while lower courts have continued to use it. In legal doctrine, opinions have been divided regarding the principle’s validity and scope. In NJA 2025 s. 162 Deckarserien, the Swedish Supreme Court ultimately stated that no special interpretative principles should apply within copyright law. However, specific copyright-related considerations may be taken into account when interpreting copyright contracts, and such considerations shall cooperate with the general rules of contract interpretation.
This thesis employs a legal-dogmatic method to examine the development of the specification principle based on case law and legal doctrine. The aim is to show that a significant part of the specification principle is now reflected in the specific copyright-related considerations established in Deckarserien, and that the main differences between the principle and these considerations relate to their categorisation and application. The research questions concern how Deckarserien relates to previous case law, how the judgment may influence contract interpretation within copyright law, what it means to take specific copyright-related considerations into account, and how such considerations are hierarchically positioned in relation to other interpretative rules.
The discussion chapter shows that the specific copyright-related considerations largely serve the same interests as the specification principle. These considerations are intended to function as one of several factors available to the court once it has attempted to establish a common will of the parties and then sought to interpret the agreement on objective grounds, beginning with its wording, but before applying general interpretative rules such as the contra stipulatorem rule or the minimum rule. As early as after NJA 2004 s. 363 Röda Korset, it was debated whether the specification principle lacked support in the Swedish Supreme Court’s case law.
The specific considerations were subsequently introduced in NJA 2010 s. 559 Skivomslaget, and then further developed in Deckarserien. Deckarserien may give rise to a more flexible interpretative approach within copyright law, allowing the courts greater room to adapt the interpretation to the circumstances of the individual case.}},
  author       = {{Björkman Krantz, Olga}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Till förmån för upphovsmannen? - En undersökning av rättsläget före och efter NJA 2025 s. 162}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}