China Judicial Reform: First Internet court to boost transparency

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China's very first Internet court has been set up in the country's online industry hub - the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province. Tech giants like Alibaba are located there. The new court's aim is to boost openness and transparency. CGTN's Hou Na reports.

In this court, defendants and plaintiffs don't appear before the judge in person, but via video-chat. This case is a copyright infringement dispute between an online costume designer and a film production company. The whole process lasted only half an hour.

WANG JIANGQIAO, VICE PRESIDENT HANGZHOU INTERNET COURT "The internet court breaks geographic boundaries and greatly saves time compared to traditional hearings. Our principle is 'zero time on the way' and 'zero costs' for the plaintiffs."

The court currently focuses on six types of civil and administrative internet-related cases, such as those involving online intellectual property rights and e-commerce disputes.

A key feature of the system is that it allows litigants handle a lawsuit entirely online -- making lawsuits as convenient as online shopping.

HOU NA HANGZHOU "It takes about only five minutes for a plaintiff to register online and file a lawsuit. Legal fees can be transferred through Alipay or other banking options. Since it opened last August, the internet court has received over six thousand cases, and processed nearly two-thirds of them."

The new internet court is a district-level court. If litigants disagree with the verdict, they can appeal to the city's intermediate people's court.

Director of the provincial high court's research office, Chen Zengbao, said the internet court is part of efforts to boost the legal system's transparency.

CHEN ZENGBAO, RESEARCH DIRECTOR ZHEJIANG PROVINCIAL HIGHER PEOPLE'S COURT "The first Internet Court in Hangzhou is a pilot project of our smart court's campaign. It is also a good example of our judicial openness and transparency, which is an important goal in our sector's reform."

Though the court represents progress, some experts say it still faces challenges, such as how to facilitate litigants who aren't familiar with the internet. They say authenticating evidence provided online also needs further study.

Thanks to the cyber court and booming e-commerce, from now on lawyers won't be the only ones salivating all the way to the bank.

HOU NA, CGTN, HANGZHOU, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE.