Beijing Internet Court pledges to protect digital technologies

The Beijing Internet Court has pledged to promote the healthy development of digital technologies, with stronger protection of copyrights in the era of digital economy.

The pledge was made in a legal guideline on serving the capital's high-quality development, which was issued by the court on Tuesday.

The guideline encourages the application of digital technologies in internet platform services and data flow, but also clarifies that the court will regulate their application through case handling to prevent them from being used to damage consumers' rights and disturb the order of the market competition.

In addition, the court will strengthen protection of intellectual property, with guidance and rules provided for innovation and application of new technologies and emerging industries.

The guideline also requires judges to increase protection of virtual properties, such as those in online games, online communities and online accounts, and deal with disputes concerning data ownership in a timely manner to ensure the safety of personal information.

"The guideline is to help Beijing accelerate the formation of an international science and technology innovation center, and make it become a model city in the era of global digital economy," Zhao Ruigang, vice-president of the court, told a news conference on Tuesday.

Li Wenchao, an official from the court's Trial Management Office, cited the guideline as saying that they will give equal protection of every entity in the market, with intensified fights against those who falsify online views and intentionally make negative comments for online platforms.

Juvenile protection in cyberspace has also been put as a top priority in the guideline, he said, adding that they will urge online service providers to optimize their protective measures for younger internet users.

The Beijing Internet Court is a specialized court established in 2018 to handle internet-related cases.