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10 05 2012 No 'human flesh capsules' found (SOCIETY)
China's health authorities said on Tuesday that medications made of human remains were not found in the country, but they will investigate further.
Deng Haihua, spokesman with the Ministry of Health, made the remarks in response to media reports that so-called health capsules made with aborted fetuses were smuggled into the Republic of Korea from China.
Health departments launched investigations into similar media reports last August and found no proof, Deng said at a news conference.
SOURCE: CHINA DAILY
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08 05 2012 Top court gets tougher on market monopolies (LAW)
The top court has reduced the burden of proof for a plaintiff in a civil lawsuit to prove that an industry giant has a monopoly or dominant market position.
Companies and public utilities now have to prove that they did not abuse their market dominance, a move legal experts welcomed as ensuring competition and protecting consumer rights.
The move is also likely to see the country conduct stricter investigations into international mergers and acquisitions, experts said.
A judicial interpretation of the Antitrust Law, issued by the Supreme People's Court on Tuesday, has reduced the plaintiff's burden to prove whether an industry giant, such as electricity and gas suppliers, has a dominant market position in civil disputes. It takes effect in June.
On alleged monopoly agreements, defendants will now have to prove that they did not restrict competition or exclude competitors, the interpretation said.
The redistribution of the burden of proof tackles a long-existing difficulty in obtaining evidence for those who said that their legitimate rights had been breached through monopolies or major companies.
Between 2008, when the Antitrust Law was introduced, and the end of 2011, there have been 61 civil litigations concerning alleged monopolies.
However, plaintiffs have a "rather low" success rate, Sun Jungong, court spokesman, said.
This was due to both a lack of knowledge regarding antitrust cases and difficulties obtaining evidence proving monopolistic behavior or abuse of market position, Sun said.
The interpretation was endorsed as a "positive signal", Sang Baichuan, director of the Institute of International Business at the University of International Business and Economics, said.
SOURCE: CHINA DAILY
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07 05 2012 Nanjing yard to build tycoon’s Titanic II (BUSINESS)
The Chinese State-owned CSC Jinling Shipyard Co Ltd announced Tuesday at a news conference that it had signed a memorandum of understanding on April 20 with an Australian mogul to construct a replica of the Titanic in China.
The deal between the shipyard based in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, and Australian mining magnate Clive Palmer to build Titanic II is music to the ears of China's shipbuilding industry, which is currently bogged in its lowest earnings slump in three years.
Design plans have started for the new Titanic, which will have the same dimensions as its old version with 840 rooms and nine decks. The new vessel is expected to make its maiden voyage from London to New York in late 2016.
SOURCE: CHINA DAILY
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04 05 2012 Apple offers settlement in trademark case (LAW)
Tech giant Apple has offered compensation to settle a dispute over ownership of the iPad trademark in China, said a lawyer connected with the case.
"Right now, there is still a big gap between the two sides on the settlement amount," said Xie Xianghui, a lawyer for Proview Technology (Shenzhen) Co, which claims it owns the iPad trademark on the Chinese mainland.
Xie declined to disclose the amount or when Apple made the offer.
"The Guangdong High People's Court is trying to mediate this, and both parties are trying to negotiate and come to a settlement," Xie said.
Carolyn Wu, a spokeswoman for Apple in Beijing, declined to comment on Xie's remarks.
Apple has said it acquired the rights to the iPad trademark in China from a Proview sister company in 2009 and that the company has refused to honor that agreement.
On Feb 29, the Guangdong court heard Apple's appeal of a lower court ruling last year that Shenzhen Proview owned the iPad trademark in China.
Proview, a Shenzhen-based maker of computer screens and LED lights, has been suing Apple in court over the right to use the iPad trademark commonly associated with the California-based technology giant's popular tablet computer.
Proview claims that the Taipei subsidiary of its Hong Kong-based parent, Proview International Holdings, registered the iPad trademark in a number of countries and regions as early as 2000.
Though Apple bought the rights to use the iPad trademark from Proview Taipei in 2009, Shenzhen Proview says it reserves the right to use the trademark it registered on the Chinese mainland in 2001.
Shenzhen Proview claims that it is a different entity than Proview Taipei and thus is not bound by the deal between Proview Taipei and Apple.
Apple, however, insists the 2009 purchase of the iPad trademark worldwide includes the right to use it on the Chinese mainland.
SOURCE: XINHUA
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02 05 2012 Sexual harassment regulation protects women on the job (LAW)
An online post by a female employee of Xiamen Airlines detailing an incident of sexual harassment has aroused concerns for more protection for women in the workplace.
Although the airline said the woman's claims have not been verified, her post has sparked attention amid increasing reports of workplace harassment.
"In recent years, cases concerning women being sexually harassed at work have been frequently disclosed. Sexual harassment directed toward women usually comes from their superiors, creating enormous fear and anxiety," said Lan Qing, deputy chief of the All-China Women's Federation's department for women's rights and interests.
Most women who are sexually harassed are reluctant to report the incident or take legal measures to protect themselves, Lan said.
The government has made some efforts to combat the problem, issuing a nationwide regulation to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace on Monday. The regulation is designed to fill in a gap left by a previous piece of legislation, the Law on Women's Rights Protection.
SOURCE: CHINA DAILY
