By Michael Swinson and James Patto. King & Wood Mallesons’ Melbourne office.

捕获Earlier this year, after several frustrated efforts, Australia finally passed new mandatory data breach notification laws in the form of the Privacy Amendment (Notifiable Data Breaches) Act 2017 (Cth) (which will come into effect on or before 22 February 2018).

While much has already been written about the Act, there is still a degree of uncertainty as to how the new regime may play out in practice. In this article, we aim to guide readers through the practical application of the laws by reference to a number of hypothetical fact scenarios and, in the course of doing so, provide some practical compliance tips.
Continue Reading Confessing your data breach sins

By Richard W. Wigley of King & Wood’s Dispute Resolution Group

Data privacy for internet users is a topic of concern the world over, with the P.R.C. being no exception. Internet information service providers (hereinafter also referred to as "IISPs"), such as commercial websites, regularly collect information from online visitors, sometimes with full knowledge of the visitors and sometimes unknown to the visitors. In addition, IISPs have been known to maliciously introduce software incompatible with the user’s existing software, install certain software such as "spyware" onto users’ computers/mobile devices and/or change users’ browser configurations without permission, and it goes without saying that "pop up ads" are an ongoing online annoyance. As online users in the P.R.C. look for protections from such unwanted invasions of their privacy and restrictions upon user control of their online experience, the recently released "Several Provisions on Regulating the Market Order for Internet Information Services" (hereinafter referred to as the "Provisions") provides needed rules and regulations in this regard.[1]   Continue Reading New M.I.I.T. Provisions Provide Additional Online User Control and Data Privacy Protections

By Susan Ning and Shan Lining, King & Wood’s Competition Group

On 14 October 2010, Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd (Tencent) launched an action against Beijing Qihoo Technology Co., Ltd (Qihoo) alleging that the latter has breached Article 14 of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law(1). Article 14 of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law prohibits entities from fabricating or spreading false facts, resulting in damaging the business reputation of a competing entityContinue Reading QQ vs 360 – An Anti-unfair Competition Case

By Wang Rui, Qiu Shaolin, and Duncan Hwang, King & Wood’s IP Practice

With the rapid growth of China’s online video gaming market, China has become a particularly appealing target market for both Chinese and foreign online game developers, particularly those developing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG). In 2009, 35 imported online games obtained approval for release in China, and imported games have accounted for 38.8% of China’s CNY 25.8 billion online gaming industry.Continue Reading Issues Foreign Video Game Developers Face in Introducing Online Games to the Chinese Market

Kalley Chen, Dai Chen and Xu Zifeng  King & Wood Mallesons’ Security Group

Australia has had a range of general and sector-specific privacy laws for 20 years. At the Federal level, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) initially regulated the way in which Commonwealth agencies dealt with the personal information of Australians. The scope of the Privacy Act was expanded to also cover the handling of individuals’ credit information and, more broadly in 2001, to cover all private sector organisations and the way in which they collect, use and disclose personal information. Individual States and Territories of Australia also have specific privacy laws that regulate the way State-based agencies deal with personal information, and laws relating to privacy are also found in a variety of legislative contexts.
Continue Reading Privacy Overhaul Imminent for Australia–A Reference to China

Finally, it seems that the first light of dawn in a quieter world has been shown to people who have been continuously bombarded by anonymous messages or phone calls via mobile and other communication channels for private tutoring, apartment sales, and insurance.

On the 25th of August 2008, the 4th Conference of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) deliberated on The 7th Amendment to the PRC Criminal Law (draft). The Draft is the first time a proposal for providing protection of personal information by imposing criminal charges for violations on such information was put forward. This has raised broad public attention at all levels.

Li Yongmei, associate, Domestic Dispute Resolution

Continue Reading Privacy: New Developments in the Protection of Personal Information