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ce filed, pre-trial mediation is attempted "it will also give online shopping the same degree
through internet, phone, or videoconference, and of judicial protection as consumption at brick-and-
if a resolution is not reached, the suit is formally mortar stores."
submitted to the case filing division of the court,
which is handled online. Individuals can submit The Hangzhou internet court has heard about
evidence and attend their trial remotely through 12,000 cases and closed about 10,600 in its first year.
their created cyber-court account. All data The average duration of a trial is 38 days, about 50
transmissions related to court proceedings are percent shorter than conventional courts.
encrypted by Alibaba Cloud.
Per China civil procedure law, suits against
Internet disputes typically involve online companies must be handled in the city where the
shopping, service contracts, lending, copyrights and company principally operates or has registered its
domains. the number of internet-related cases are address, and Hangzhou courts have seen a dramatic
rising rapidly in China. In the first eight months increase in e-commerce cases over the past few
of 2018, Beijing's courts were reportedly stuffed years, from 600 in 2013 to over 10,000 in 2016.
with 37,631 online-related disputes, up 24.4 percent
compared with the same period last year. China's second internet court opened in Beijing
earlier this year The Beijing Internet Court is given
Furthermore, Taobao, an online marketplace the jurisdiction to handle certain types of internet-
founded by Alibaba, has recently been under fire related cases that should be tried by a primary-level
for allowing vendors to sell illegal VPNs that allow people's court in Beijing in the first instance. Disputes
individuals to bypass China’s online censorship. in online shopping, service contracts, lending,
Ironically perhaps, if the newly established cyber- copyrights, domains are among the typical cases.
court handles cases against Taobao, Alibaba could
end up hosting and authorizing legal proceedings The number of internet-related cases has been
against itself. rising rapidly over the past few years.
Defendants and plaintiffs appear before the judge In the first eight months this year, the city's courts
normally via video-chat. The online court can tried 37,631 such cases, up 24.4 percent compared
break geographic boundaries and greatly save time with the same period last year. The new court
in traditional hearings. Internet courts, however, would strengthen the online protection of digital
can open the trial offline when the judges need to assets, intellectual property, personal information,
identify parties involved face to face and examine and business secrets as part of efforts to build a
evidence. Other parts of the court proceeding can prosperous, orderly and safe cyberspace.
also be conducted offline upon the request of the
parties involved and the needs of the trial. The court is staffed with 38 judges with an average
of 10 years trial experience and is open 24 hours a day
China began streaming trials from some more through its digital litigation platform. Appeals can
traditional courtrooms in 2016 in an apparent effort be lodged and heard by an intermediate court or a
to boost the transparency of the legal system and to special court such as the intellectual property court.■
reduce costs.
SOUTH CHINA BUSINESS JOURNAL 7
Du Qian, the cyber-court chief justice, told the
official Supreme People's Court news agency
that the cyber court will "offer regular people an
efficient, low-cost solution to these new kinds of
disputes that take place on the internet," and that
through internet, phone, or videoconference, and of judicial protection as consumption at brick-and-
if a resolution is not reached, the suit is formally mortar stores."
submitted to the case filing division of the court,
which is handled online. Individuals can submit The Hangzhou internet court has heard about
evidence and attend their trial remotely through 12,000 cases and closed about 10,600 in its first year.
their created cyber-court account. All data The average duration of a trial is 38 days, about 50
transmissions related to court proceedings are percent shorter than conventional courts.
encrypted by Alibaba Cloud.
Per China civil procedure law, suits against
Internet disputes typically involve online companies must be handled in the city where the
shopping, service contracts, lending, copyrights and company principally operates or has registered its
domains. the number of internet-related cases are address, and Hangzhou courts have seen a dramatic
rising rapidly in China. In the first eight months increase in e-commerce cases over the past few
of 2018, Beijing's courts were reportedly stuffed years, from 600 in 2013 to over 10,000 in 2016.
with 37,631 online-related disputes, up 24.4 percent
compared with the same period last year. China's second internet court opened in Beijing
earlier this year The Beijing Internet Court is given
Furthermore, Taobao, an online marketplace the jurisdiction to handle certain types of internet-
founded by Alibaba, has recently been under fire related cases that should be tried by a primary-level
for allowing vendors to sell illegal VPNs that allow people's court in Beijing in the first instance. Disputes
individuals to bypass China’s online censorship. in online shopping, service contracts, lending,
Ironically perhaps, if the newly established cyber- copyrights, domains are among the typical cases.
court handles cases against Taobao, Alibaba could
end up hosting and authorizing legal proceedings The number of internet-related cases has been
against itself. rising rapidly over the past few years.
Defendants and plaintiffs appear before the judge In the first eight months this year, the city's courts
normally via video-chat. The online court can tried 37,631 such cases, up 24.4 percent compared
break geographic boundaries and greatly save time with the same period last year. The new court
in traditional hearings. Internet courts, however, would strengthen the online protection of digital
can open the trial offline when the judges need to assets, intellectual property, personal information,
identify parties involved face to face and examine and business secrets as part of efforts to build a
evidence. Other parts of the court proceeding can prosperous, orderly and safe cyberspace.
also be conducted offline upon the request of the
parties involved and the needs of the trial. The court is staffed with 38 judges with an average
of 10 years trial experience and is open 24 hours a day
China began streaming trials from some more through its digital litigation platform. Appeals can
traditional courtrooms in 2016 in an apparent effort be lodged and heard by an intermediate court or a
to boost the transparency of the legal system and to special court such as the intellectual property court.■
reduce costs.
SOUTH CHINA BUSINESS JOURNAL 7
Du Qian, the cyber-court chief justice, told the
official Supreme People's Court news agency
that the cyber court will "offer regular people an
efficient, low-cost solution to these new kinds of
disputes that take place on the internet," and that
