New NDRC rules facilitate the issuance of RMB Bonds in Hong Kong by PRC non-financial institutions

By Huang Xuhua  Sau-Wing Mak  Kevin Tong  King & Wood Mallesons' Corporate Group

Background

As part of China’s commitment to foster the development of the offshore RMB bond market in Hong Kong, the National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) published the “Circular on the Matters relating to the Issuance of RMB Bonds in Hong Kong by Onshore Non-financial institutions” (the “NDRC Circular”) on 2 May 2012. The Circular is a sequel to the “Interim Measures for the Administration of the Issuance of RMB Bonds in Hong Kong by Onshore Financial Institutions” published by the NDRC in June 2007 which regulate the issuance of RMB bonds in Hong Kong by onshore financial institutions (the “2007 Measures”).

Prior to the publication of the NDRC Circular, approvals for onshore PRC non-financial institutions to issue RMB Bonds in Hong Kong have been granted on a discretionary basis. In November last year, Baosteel Group Corporation became the first PRC corporate to issue RMB bonds in Hong Kong. Late last month, one metals and mining company and three state-owned power plant operators, namely China Minmetals, Guangdong Nuclear Power, Huaneng Power and Datang Power , were granted approvals by the NDRC to issue RMB bonds in Hong Kong. The significance of the NDRC Circular is that it formalises the approval process and stipulates the regulatory framework for onshore PRC non-financial institutions to issue RMB bonds in Hong Kong.

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国家发改委发布通知以规范并促进境内非金融机构赴香港发行人民币债券

作者:黄绪华 麦秀颖 唐礼贤  金杜律师事务所公司

背景

作为中央政府承诺促进香港人民币债券市场发展的一部分,2012年5月2日,国家发展和改革委员会(“国家发改委”)发布了《国家发展改革委关于境内非金融机构赴香港特别行政区发行人民币债券有关事项的通知》(“发改委通知”)。发改委通知是《境内金融机构赴香港特别行政区发行人民币债券管理暂行办法》(“2007年办法”)之续篇,2007年办法由中国人民银行和国家发改委于2007年6月8日公布,主要规范境内金融机构赴香港发行人民币债券的行为。

发改委通知发布之前,内地非金融机构赴香港发行人民币债券采用的是个案审批。去年十一月,宝钢集团公司成为第一家在香港发行人民币债券的内地公司。上个月,国家发改委核准中国五矿集团、广东核电集团、华能电力和大唐电力赴香港发行人民币债券。发改委通知就内地非金融机构赴香港发行人民币债券确定了正式的审批流程和监管架构,意义重大。

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"Green Home" Accused of Being Copycat of "GreenTree Inn"

By King & Wood Mallesons' Trademark Group

Recently, GreenTree Inn Hotel ("GreenTree"), an economy hotel chain that owns over 450 chain hotels in almost 150 cites in China, brought a lawsuit against a local hotel named "Green Home Business Hotel" ("Green Home"), which is located in the Yanchen City, Jiangsu Province, for the alleged trademark infringement and unfair competition. GreenTree's mark in actual use, namely,  , consists of three parts, an oak tree device and the English of "GreenTree Inn" in an eclipse and Chinese Tradename of the hotel "格林豪泰" below the eclipse. In fact, in the four-character Chinese Tradename of GreenTree, only the first two correspond to "Green" in sound and the latter two are irrelevant to the word "GreenTree Inn" in either sound or concept, which pronounce "Hao" and "Tai", meaning "Generous" and "Peaceful", respectively.

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格林豪泰酒店起诉"格林之家商务酒店"商标侵权

作者:金杜律师事务所商标

日前,格林豪泰酒店(以下简称“格林豪泰”),一家在中国近150个城市拥有超过450家正在经营的经济型连锁酒店,起诉盐城市亭湖区一酒店“格林之家商务酒店”(以下简称“格林之家”)商标侵权和不正当竞争。格林豪泰在实际使用中的商标图样为,基本构造为椭圆形图案内包含橡树图、英文“GreenTree Inn”,以及椭圆形图案下方的“格林豪泰酒店”字样。值得注意的是格林豪泰酒店的中文名字与其英文名字GreenTree Inn并不完全对应。

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中国における情報提供制度の活用指南

作者:馬 立栄 金杜律师事务所金杜律師事務所特許

近年、中国において特許権の権利行使を行うケースが増えつつある中、事後対策として無効審判を起こすことは依然として有効な手段であるが、周到な事前予防策を講じることは今後より重要になると思われる。事前対策として中国の特許公報(週単位で更新される)をリアルタイムに監視し、対象特許が見つかり次第速やかに情報提供をする(中国において、「公衆意見の提出」と言われる)ことで、特許査定をさせなかったり、登録範囲を縮小させたりすることができれば、コスト対パフォーマンスの点においてより効果的であろう。

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约定域外法院管辖的困境及出路

作者:张守志 徐晓丹 李响  金杜律师事务所争议解决

在缔约一方为外国公司的合同中,尤其是国际融资合同中,争端解决条款经常约定相关争议应由外国法院管辖。这种约定往往是基于此类合同的惯例,并在作为优势一方的外国金融机构的坚持下订立的。但是,在商事活动越来越国际化的今天,固守这种惯例的交易外方,可能面临进退两难的困境。

一、   外国法院的判决可能无法在中国得到承认和执行

在合同约定外国法院管辖的情况下,如果中国公司只在中国(不包括港澳台地区)境内有可执行的财产,那么,一旦将来双方产生争议并由外国法院做出判决,则外方在该判决项下的权利只有在该判决被中国法院承认及执行后才能行使。然而,在中国申请承认和执行外国法院判决的难度非常大,需要满足相关法律和条约设定的种种条件。只要有一项条件不具备,相关外国法院的判决就无法得到中国法院的承认和执行,使得原本有利于外方的胜诉判决成为一纸空文。

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Options for International Commercial Dispute Resolution

By Liu Xiangwen and Xu Xianhong  King & Wood Mallesons' Dispute Resolution Group

International commercial disputes have an extensive scope, involving matters such as international sale of goods, mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, and construction. The so-called international commercial dispute resolution cases dealt with by Chinese lawyers means those related to China and foreign countries, the main factors of which occurred either in China or in other countries. Due to the main characteristic of cross-border issues, international commercial dispute resolution is distinguished from domestic dispute resolution.

In the past, the parties in international commercial activities paid less attention when choosing options for dispute resolution, which were indicated by the fact that there were often no dispute resolution clauses in their contracts, or even where there were such provisions, they were poorly drafted. This situation has improved substantially according to recent cases we have dealt with.

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刍议国际商事争议解决方式的选择

作者:刘相文 徐献宏   金杜律师事务所争议解决

国际商事争议的范围很广,涉及国际货物买卖、并购、PE投资、工程建设等诸多领域。但是简言之,中国律师所处理的“国际商事争议”,指的是同时具备中国和外国因素的商事争议,其主要事实可能发生在中国国内,也可能发生在国外。由于其跨国性的基本特点,国际商事争议的解决方式与国内争议有明显的区别。

在处理案件的过程中,我们发现国际商事活动的当事人越来越重视争议解决方式的选择,之前在合同中没有争议解决条款或者争议解决条款不规范的情况有所改观。

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360 v. QQ-Abuse of Dominance Action Tried at Guangdong Higher Court

By Susan Ning and Hazel Yin

On April 18, the Guangdong Higher People's Court held the first court hearing for the abuse of dominance action filed by Qihoo(the operator of 360 safety software)against Tencent(the operator of QQ instant messaging software)under the Anti-Monopoly Law ("AML"). Qihoo accused Tencent for abusing its dominance in the market of online instant communications services and claimed damages of RMB 150,000,000. The court hearing lasted for more than 8 hours, and attracted an audience of almost 400 people. 

As requested by the court, the hearing was divided into four sessions, dedicated to each of the four issues: market definition, dominant position, abusive conducts and legal liabilities.  The hearing focused on the first three issues and both sides called in expert witnesses and had fierce debates over each of these issues.

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Forum Shopping in Dispute Resolution: Hurdles and Solutions

By Zhang Shouzhi, Xu Xiaodan and Li Xiang  King & Wood Mallesons' Dispute Resolution Group

Commercial contracts (especially international financing agreements) between Chinese parties and foreign parties often designate a foreign court outside of China as the forum in which to resolve potential disputes. Such a forum selection clause, often insisted upon by the financial institution due to its stronger bargaining position, has become a generally accepted practice in international financing transactions.

However, when entering into an international commercial contract with a Chinese party, selecting a foreign jurisdiction to resolve disputes may place the foreign party at a disadvantage with respect to future commercial activities.

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Michael Jordan vs. Qiaodan Sportswear Co., Ltd Lawsuit Accepted

By King & Wood Mallesons' Trademark Group

According to the statement dated as of March 1, 2012 issued by a representative for Michael Jordan, the suit filed by former NBA basketball legend Michael Jordan against a Chinese sportswear and shoe manufacturer Qiaodan Sportswear Co., Ltd., whose trade name and trademark 乔丹 is equivalent to the commonly used Chinese translation for Jordan, has been accepted by court in China. The specific claims of the suit remain a myth presently.

Subsequent to the above statement, Michael Jordan also released another statement:

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乔丹告乔丹体育诉讼获受理

作者:金杜律师事务所商标

篮球“飞人”迈克尔•乔丹(以下简称“乔丹”)起诉乔丹体育股份有限公司(以下简称“乔丹体育”)的诉讼事件近期闹的沸沸扬扬。昨日,该事件有了新的进展,根据迈克尔•乔丹的发言人发布的书面文件,法院已受理上述起诉,但是乔丹的诉讼请求尚不明确。

该书面文件显示的日期为3月1日,内容提及法院已受理迈克尔•乔丹对乔丹体育提起的诉讼。同时,迈克尔•乔丹在一份声明中表示:“我很高兴,中国法院受理了我的诉讼,以保护我的姓名权和中国消费者的利益。乔丹体育未经授权使用我的中文名字、球衣号码23号、甚至试图用我孩子的名字从事经营活动。我认为中国消费者的权益应当受到保护、不应被误导,他们应该对其购买的商品具有清楚的知情权。我采取这一行动旨在保护我的姓名权和品牌。任何人均有权保护自己的姓名权。对于本案的受理,说明中国认可姓名权是每个人应有的权利。”

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Joint purchasing under the AML-SOHU, QQ and Baidu launched Video Content Cooperation Alliance

By Susan Ning, Liu Jia and Huang Jing

On April 24, 2012, TV.SOHU.COM, v.QQ.COM,and iQIYI.COM (the specialized video website of Baidu)jointly announced the establishment of an alliance called "Video Content Cooperation" (VCC) for vedio copyright joint purchasing. The VCC is viewed as another "faction" after the recent combination of Youku and Tudou. It is reported that the main purpose of the VCC is to jointly purchasing the copy right for their own each website.1  

TV.SOHU.COM, v.QQ.COM, and iQIYI.COM are all internet video websites and are close competitors. Their cooperation may affect the competition status in the market. This article will analyze under the Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) whether joint purchase arrangement could constitute "horizontal monopoly agreement".

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一部の資本項目外貨業務管理の更なる明確化・規範化の問題に関する通知

By King & Wood's Corporate Group

(中国語原文关于进一步明确和规范部分资本项目外汇业务管理有关问题的通知

クロスボーダーの資本流動による金融リスクを防止し、国際収支の基本的均衡を図るため、国家外貨管理局は、本通知を発し、外貨資本金の支払人民元転、外債借入、土地保証金口座、個人資産現金化専門外貨口座に関する規制を強化した。

 

①外貨資本金の支払人民元転に関する管理の規範化

外 資系企業は、外貨資本金の人民元転により取得した人民元資金を、国内持分投資、非自社用不動産の購入に関する費用の支払い、委託貸付の実行、企業間貸借 (第三者の立替金を含む)、第三者に転貸した銀行貸付金の返済及び各種の保証金の支払いに使用してはならないことを再度強調した。

 

②外債借入に関する管理の強化

外資系企業が対外債務を借り入れる場合、その枠は投資総額と登録資本の差額(以下、「投注差」という)を超えてはならず、外国投資者が登録資本の満額を払い込んでいない場合、その外債借入限度額は、投注差に外国投資者の出資払込比率を乗じて算出される。

外資系企業が借り入れた外債に延滞が生じ、かつ外債変更登記手続を行わなかった場合には、外貨管理局によって新規の外債借入が停止される可能性があり、短期外債の延滞又は延期により実際の借入期間が1年を超えた場合には、累計発生額ベースで管理を実施するとしている。

 

③土地保証金口座に関する管理の規範化

土地使用権の競売を行う場合、関連規定に基づき保証金専用口座を通じて実施しなければならず、その口座の名称を「土地使用権の競売に関わる保証金専用外貨口座」に変更する。当該口座内の資金については人民元転を行ってはならない。

 

④個人資産現金化専門外貨口座に関する管理の整備

中 国国内の個人は、外国投資者の中国現地企業の持分又はその他の権益の譲渡により収入を得た場合、所在地の外貨管理局に資産現金化専門外貨口座の開設を申請 しなければならない。国内個人は、相応の資産現金化収入に関する税金納付完了証明書をもって、銀行に当該口座内資金の人民元転を申請することが可能であ る。

 

在中国境内为美国诉讼取证

作者:胡梅 Holly Blackwell  金杜律师事务所争议解决组 上海分所

美国的诉讼证据开示制度对于缺乏美国诉讼经验的当事人来说非常陌生,对于中方当事人来说更是如此,因为中国诉讼程序与其大相径庭。中国法下的诉讼程序与其他大陆法系国家类似,双方当事人只须提供支持己方诉求或抗辩的相关证据既可。美国证据开示制度则不仅要求当事人提供对己方有利的证据,也要求当事人提供对其不利的证据。美国证据开示规则能使诉讼当事人较容易地得到对方、甚至是第三方的信息,例如公司内部电子邮件、文件、记录和规章。即使此类信息的披露会违反中国法律规定,一方也可以要求对方披露所需信息。尽管海牙公约提供了一条取得中国境内证据的途径,但当一方当事人在美国法庭提起诉讼时,美国法庭并不总倾向于适用《海牙公约》[i]的程序。从近期的一些美国案例中,我们不难看出要求中方当事人出示证据的困难性,以及中方当事人就此问题在美国诉讼中面临的挑战。

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