The longstanding tension in China between expansion of service to the Internet and regulation of content on the Internet has entered a new phase. While the so-called Great Firewall remains in place to block unwanted overseas content and postings by ordinary citizens remain subject to censorship, now the restrictions on publishing and programming familiar to radio, film and television are being extended in full to the Internet. Adding to this, is China’s list of blocked websites and internet services continues to grow. But potential new laws could make it far larger.
Online Publishing Regulation
The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on 14th February 2016, released the new Regulations for Online Publishing Services (“Online Publishing Regulations”). The regulations provide a broad definition of online publishing services and outline stricter rules for foreign companies regarding online publishing in China. According to the rules, all content published online — including text, maps, games, cartoons, and video and audio files — must be hosted on servers inside China. The rules took effect on March 10 and require all involved in online publishing to receive a permit to do so. It is not immediately clear how these rules would impact the day to day operations of foreign companies but the potential implications has made the new regulations a hot topic of discussion.
Internet Domain Name Management Rules (Opinion-seeking Revision Draft)
On March 25, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which oversees China’s internet and telecommunications sectors, publicly released a draft regulation that outlines rules on domain name registrations for websites. Article 37, a new section that might cause alarm (if taken literally) could mean that any website that has not procured its domain from inside China will no longer be accessible from within the country’s border. That could have a significant impact on businesses and individuals.
At this seminar, Mr. Eugene Low, Partner of Hogan Lovells and Mr. Clement Ngai, Partner at Baker & McKenzie LLP will interpret the regulations and share their views on how this might impact your business, clients and online publishing in general.
AGENDA
9:00 to 9:30 Registration
9:30 to 9:40 Welcome Remarks by Mr. Carlo D’ Andrea, Vice-Chairman of the Board, Shanghai Chapter, European Chamber
9:40 to 10:10 Presentation by Mr. Eugene Low, Partner at Hogan Lovells
10:10 to 10:40 Presentation by Mr. Clement Ngai, Partner at Baker & McKenzie LLP
10:10 to 11:00 Q&A Session
11:00 to 11:10 Closing Remarks
Payment:
You can pay at the day of the event using cash or local debit/credit cards. The European Chamber can give you an official fapiao for amount exceeding 200 RMB, and this will be sent to you via courier a few days after the event.
Terms & Conditions:
Events have limited seating so to ensure your attendance we encourage advance online registration and payment for ALL events. We cannot guarantee entry to anyone not registered in advance.
Cancellation Policy:
If you cannot attend an event for which you have registered, please cancel your registration no later than one business day prior to the event. If you fail to notify us of your cancellation in a timely fashion, you will be charged for event costs.
To cancel you can: 1) email: ltan@europeanchamber.com.cn, or 2) cancel online if you registered for the event through the website.