Features & Analyses

The beginning of this year saw the introduction of a series of laws that have an immense effect on the labour market in the PRC. Many of their provisions have been expected and prepared for, while other areas of employment law remain unclear for many employers operating in the PRC. Therefore, knowledge of their content is essential for every market player with the need for hiring workers within the country.

The PRC Law on the Mediation and Arbitration of Employment Disputes is another important step made by the Standing Committee of the PRC National People's Congress after its promulgation of the Labour Contract Law in June 2007. Both this and the Labour Contract Law are intended to better protect the legitimate rights and interests of employees and employers, with the latter in respect of the substantive law and the former in respect of the procedural system.

The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China recently released its Decision on Amending the PRC Customs Measures for the Supervision of Processing Trade Goods (Decision), which has been in effect since 2004. The new measure was announced on 14 January 2008 and took effect since 1 March 2008. This development heralds the end of a long process of outward processing trade reform that will see the upgrade of China's processing trade.

How do the Leading Lawyer nominations reflect the evolution of the legal system in China? China Law & Practice takes a closer look at the results, and speaks to the nominees about their areas of expertise. Hear from the experts what the future holds for China law.

Vice Chairperson of the Mainland Affairs Council Liu Te-shun (LTS) spoke with Chris Bisogni (CB) and shared his thoughts on the development of cross-straits economic ties and what the Taiwanese people can expect as a result of Ma Ying-jeou's victory in the recent election.

Vice Chairperson of the Mainland Affairs Council Liu Te-shun (LTS) spoke with Chris Bisogni (CB) and shared his thoughts on the development of cross-straits economic ties and what the Taiwanese people can expect as a result of Ma Ying-jeou's victory in the recent election.

Ambush marketers, by loose association with an international sporting event, can claim the same benefits of advertising as an official sponsor who will have paid a great deal for that status. This can result in the misappropriation of intellectual property, and allows a marketer to unfairly capitalize on the publicity surrounding an event, such as the Olympics. As China gears up for the Beijing games, this is an important issue that needs to be addressed.

In response to the rapid development of the banking industry in the PRC, new rules were promulgated on February 4 2008 to address a number of related issues. Several of China's top lawyers shared their views on the new Guidelines for the Consolidated Supervision of Banks (Trial Implementation).

In recent years, the number of cases concerning conflict between registered trademarks, enterprise names and the prior civil rights has been increasing sharply in China. This has created widespread concern and is fast becoming a hot and difficult issue in the trials of intellectual property rights.