Interpretation of the Supreme People's Court on the Application of Laws in the Trial of Civil Disputes over Domain Names of Computer Network 2006-04-05 15:18:20 Passed in the Meeting 1182 of Judicial Committee of Supreme People’s Court on June 26,
2001, and goes into effect on July 24, 2001.
To properly try the civil dispute cases over registration and use of domain names of computer network (hereinafter called domain name cases), based on the General Rules of the Civil Law of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter called the General Rules of the Civil Law), the Anti—unfair Competition Law of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter called the Anti—unfair Competition Law), and the Civil Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter called the Civil Procedure Law), the interpretation is made as follows:
1. A party brings a case of the civil disputes over the registration, use of domain names of computer network, in so far as it is tested to be in conformity with Article 108 of the Civil Procedure Law, the people’s court must accept the case.
2. To the tort disputes over domain names, the intermediate courts in the places of tort or the residences of the accused have the jurisdiction. In case the places of tort or the residences of the accused are difficult to affirm, the places, where a terminal or other installations of the computers through which a prosecutor finds the domain names, may be the places of tort.
The foreign domain name cases involve in the domain name cases in which one party or the parties are foreigners, stateless persons, foreign enterprises or organizations, international organizations, or the domain names are registered in foreign countries. In case a foreign domain name case occurs in the realm of the People’s Republic of China, the jurisdiction is affirmed according to the provisions of Part 4 of the Civil Procedure Law.
3. The subject matter of a domain name case is affirmed according to the nature of the legal relationship between the parties, and named after the domain names of the computer network; in case the nature of the relationship is difficult to affirm, the case can be just called domain name of computer network case.
4. A people’s court that tries a domain name case must convict a defendant’s action of registration or use of the domain names to be a tort or unfair competition, if
A. The civil rights and interests the prosecutor claimed are legal B. The defendant’s domain names or the main parts of the domain names are copies, imitations, translations, or transliterations of the prosecutor’s; or are the same with or similar enough to the prosecutor’s registered trademarks or domain names that concerned public would be mislead C. The defendant has neither rights or interests on the domain names or their main parts, nor the reasonable ground for registration or use
D. The defendant’s registration or use has malice
5. A people’s court must convict a defendant malicious if he is proved to
A. Register others’ famous trademarks for commercial purposes B. Register or use domain names which are the same with or similar to the prosecutor’s registered trademarks or domain names for commercial purposes, and intentionally confuse with the prosecutor’s products, services, or net sites, to mislead the network consumers to visit his own net sites or other net sites C. Made efforts to sell, rent, or transfer the domain names in other ways with high prices to get unfair interests D. Not use or prepare to use the domain names after registration and intentionally hinder the obligee’s registration E. Conditions that show the malice
If the defendant produces evidence to prove that the domain names he owned have gotten certain fame before the case, and can be distinguished to the prosecutor’s registered trademarks or domain names, or other conditions prove that the defendant has no malice, the people’s court may convict the defendant not malicious.
6. A people’s court that tries a domain name case may convict whether the related registered trademarks are famous, based on the parties’ request or conditions.
7. If the conditions of a domain name case, which are in conformity with Article 4 of this interpretation, compose a tort, the people’s court must apply corresponding provisions of laws; if they compose unfair competition, the court must apply the provisions of Article 4 of the General Rules of the Civil Law, or/and 1of Article2 of the Anti—unfair Competition Law.
Foreign domain name case is disposed of according to Chapter 8 of the General Rules of the Civil Law.
8. In case a people’s court convicts the registration or use of domain names to be a tort or unfair competition, the court may sentence the defendant to stop tort or cancel the domain names, or sentence the prosecutor to register and use the domain names on the prosecutor’s request; if the obligee has suffered substantial damages, the court may sentence the defendant to compensate for the damages.
中华人民共和国最高人民法院公告
《最高人民法院关于审理涉及计算机网络域名民事纠纷案件适用法律若干问题的解释》已于２００１年６月２６日由最高人民法院审判委员会第１１８２次会议通 过。现予公布，自２００１年７月２４日起施行。 二００一年七月十七日 最高人民法院关于审理涉及计算机 网络域名民事纠纷案件适用法律若干问题的解释 （２００１年６月２６日最高人民法院审判委员会 第１１８２次会议通过 法释［２００１］２４号） 为了正确审 理涉及计算机网络域名注册、使用等行为的民事纠纷案件（以下简称域名纠纷案件），根据《中华人民共和国民法通则》（以下简称民法通则）、《中华人民共和国 反不正当竞争法》（以下简称反不正当竞争法）和《中华人民共和国民事诉讼法》（以下简称民事诉讼法）等法律的规定，作如下解释：
第一条 对于涉及计算机网络域名注册、使用等行为的民事纠 纷，当事人向人民法院提起诉讼，经审查符合民事诉讼法第一百零八条规定的，人民法院应当受理。
第二条 涉及域名的侵权纠纷案件，由侵权行为地或者被告住所地的中级人民法院管辖。对难以 确定侵权行为地和被告住所地的，原告发现该域名的计算机终端等设备所在地可以视为侵权行为地。 涉外域名纠纷案件包括当事人一方或者双方是外国 人、无国籍人、外国企业或组织、国际组织，或者域名注册地在外国的域名纠纷案件。在中华人民共和国领域内发生的涉外域名纠纷案件，依照民事诉讼法第四编的 规定确定管辖。
第三条 域名纠 纷案件的案由，根据双方当事人争议的法律关系的性质确定，并在其前冠以计算机网络域名；争议的法律关系的性质难以确定的，可以通称为计算机网络域名纠纷案 件。
第四条 人民法院审理域名 纠纷案件，对符合以下各项条件的，应当认定被告注册、使用域名等行为构成侵权或者不正当竞争： （一）原告请求保护的民事权益合法有效； （二）被告域名或其主要部分构成对原告驰名商标的复制、模仿、翻译或音译；或者与原告的注册商标、域名等相同或近似，足以造成相关公众的误认； （三）被告对该域名或其主要部分不享有权益，也无注册、使用该域名的正当理由； （四）被告对该域名的注册、使用具有恶意。
第五条 被告的行为被证明具有下列情形之一的，人民法院应 当认定其具有恶意： （一）为商业目的将他人驰名商标注册为域名的； （二）为商业目的注册、使用与原告的注册商标、域名等相同或近 似的域名，故意造成与原告提供的产品、服务或者原告网站的混淆，误导网络用户访问其网站或其他在线站点的； （三）曾要约高价出售、出租或者以 其他方式转让该域名获取不正当利益的； （四）注册域名后自己并不使用也未准备使用，而有意阻止权利人注册该域名的； （五）具有其 他恶意情形的。 被告举证证明在纠纷发生前其所持有的域名已经获得一定的知名度，且能与原告的注册商标、域名等相区别，或者具有其他情形足以证 明其不具有恶意的，人民法院可以不认定被告具有恶意。
第六条 人民法院审理域名纠纷案件，根据当事人的请求以及案件的具体情况，可以对涉及的注册商标是否驰名依法作出认定。
第七条 人民法院在审理域名纠纷案件中，对符合本解释第四 条规定的情形，依照有关法律规定构成侵权的，应当适用相应的法律规定；构成不正当竞争的，可以适用民法通则第四条、反不正当竞争法第二条第一款的规定。 涉外域名纠纷案件，依照民法通则第八章的有关规定处理。
第八条 人民法院认定域名注册、使用等行为构成侵权或者不正当竞争的，可以判令被告停止侵权、注销域名，或者依原告的请求判令由 原告注册使用该域名；给权利人造成实际损害的，可以判令被告赔偿损失。