Courts settle disputes quickly online
Updated: 2016-04-27 08:07
By Cao Yin In Hangzhou(China Daily)
|
|||||||||
People can solve online shopping disputes within half an hour, thanks to "online courtrooms" established in four courts in East China's Zhejiang province.
Customers who unknowingly purchase fake or low-quality goods online can sue, and then participate in court hearings from their homes, instead of going to court. The approach is "a new appealing style that saves litigants' time and reduces the burden on the legal system", said Li Yi, a judge specializing in intellectual property cases at Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court.
The online case hearings are part of a pilot program run by the court, and includes three grassroots courts in the province's Yuhang, Xihu and Binjiang districts. It started last year.
So far, the online courtrooms have received 8,165 lawsuit applications. In addition to settling online disputes about goods, the courts alsodeal with complaints about online payments and copyrights.
"What we want is to provide convenience for litigants, making lawsuits as easy as shopping online," Li said, adding that fighting online counterfeits through the courts helps protect intellectual property.
Litigants can register an account on one of the four courts' websites using a mobile phone number, and then provide evidence for the case. They pay court fees via online banks or Alipay, a payment channel of Alibaba Group.
"Information about the lawsuit, such as when the case will be heard, will be conveyed to litigants via the mobile network," Li said. The judge, plaintiff, defendant and representatives of the e-commerce platform, such as Taobao, participate in an online chat room, providing testimony and evidence.
"Most online litigations can be ended within 30 minutes," she said.
The online courts can also handle complaints from customers overseas. But hearings are conducted in the Chinese language and rely on the country's laws, so hiring a Chinese lawyer to participate in the hearings may be a good idea.
According to Cheng Wenjuan, a judge responsible for the online courtroom at Yuhang court: "Enterprises providing online shopping, such as Alibaba, have fueled a boom in online disputes, which is the major reason that we hear such litigations in this way."
As of April 19, the Yuhang court had received 5,451 lawsuit applications. After review, 600 were filed.
"Some disputes, in fact, can be mediated or cannot be accepted under the law, so more than 1,800 complaints were withdrawn," she said.
caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 04/27/2016 page4)
- UN urges DPRK to stop 'further provocative action'
- China stresses Putin's expected visit
- British FM visits Cuba for 1st time since 1959
- Trump attacks Clinton on gender, risking backlash from women
- Pirate radio poses surprising challenge in internet age
- DPRK's Musudan missile launch appears to have failed
- Top 10 luxury cars at the 14th Beijing auto show
- European castle-style campus wows in Southwest China
- Industrial city reinvents itself as green oasis
- Tiananmen Square decorated as May Day holiday approaches
- Snapshots of modern-day Chinese at work
- Top 10 dazzling new car models at Beijing auto show
- London's Big Ben to fall silent for urgent repairs
- Rare snub-nosed monkeys at Beijing Zoo
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Anti-graft campaign targets poverty relief |
Cherry blossom signal arrival of spring |
In pictures: Destroying fake and shoddy products |
China's southernmost city to plant 500,000 trees |
Cavers make rare finds in Guangxi expedition |
Cutting hair for Longtaitou Festival |
Today's Top News
Liang avoids jail in shooting death
China's finance minister addresses ratings downgrade
Duke alumni visit Chinese Embassy
Marriott unlikely to top Anbang offer for Starwood: Observers
Chinese biopharma debuts on Nasdaq
What ends Jeb Bush's White House hopes
Investigation for Nicolas's campaign
Will US-ASEAN meeting be good for region?
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |