By: Susan Ning, Angie Ng and Shan Lining

Last week (between 26 to 27 May 2011), it was reported in the press that Unilever has raised the prices of specific products (including Lux and Hazeline branded shampoos and shower gels) by 10% in some cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou (Unilever’s price increases).  This was touted as a surprising move given that Unilever was recently fined by the price authority, the National Development Reform Commission (NDRC) in relation to conduct to do with its proposed price increases just earlier in the month (see below for more details to do with this fine) (Unilever’s price signaling conduct).

This article outlines details to do with Unilever’s price signaling conduct and subsequent price increases and examines whether or to what extent such conduct would be considered in breach of the Price Law and the Anti-Monopoly Law in China.Continue Reading Price signaling and price hikes – a breach of the Price Law or Anti-Monopoly Law?

By Richard  Wigley of King & Wood’s Intellectual Property Group

Background on the Campaign

High rates of intellectual property rights (“IPRs”) infringement in China have in recent years been of increasing concern to foreign and domestic rights holders alike. Though, as China is a developing country, such high rates of infringement are, arguably, to some extent an economic structural issue, these infringements are seen as an impediment to China’s economic growth prospects. Furthermore, China has an obligation as a signatory of TRIPs (Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) to maintain an effective regime for the protection of IPRs.Continue Reading National Campaign to “Crack Down” on Intellectual Property Rights (“IPRs”) Violations: Economic Development through Improved IPR Enforcement

作者:刘军 金杜律师事务所 广州分所 国内诉讼部

2008年3月30日,最高法院公布调整各高级法院和中级法院管辖第一审民商事案件标准,主要从案件标的额方面大幅提高了高级法院和中级法院受理一审民商事案件的门槛,新标准自2008年4月1日起施行。

此次调整将大大减少各高级法院受理一审案件以及最高法院受理二审案件的数量,但同时会导致基层法院受理一审案件数量的激增,相应地中级法院二审案件的办案压力也会一定程度的增大。可以说,新标准的实施后,绝大部分民商事案件的一审、二审工作将由基层法院和中级法院承担。Continue Reading 关于最高法院调整一审民商事案件级别管辖标准的一点看法