Provisions by the Supreme People's Court on the Jurisdiction of Internet Courts over Cases
Judicial Interpretation (2025) No. 14
(Adopted at the 1957th session of the Judicial Committee of the Supreme People's Court on September 15, 2025, issued on September 29, 2025, and takes effect as of November 1, 2025)
To strengthen the construction of Internet courts, optimize and refine their case jurisdiction, and further leverage their functions in providing convenient and beneficial judicial services to the people, resolving disputes in a fair, efficient, and convenient manner, enhancing the law-based governance of cyberspace, and safeguarding the healthy development of the digital economy, these Provisions are formulated in accordance with the Civil Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China, the Administrative Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China, and other relevant legal provisions, and in light of judicial practices.
Rule 1 Internet courts shall have centralized jurisdiction over the following first-instance cases that would otherwise fall under the jurisdiction of local primary people's courts within their respective municipality-level administrative regions:
(1) Disputes over the ownership, infringement, or contracts related to online data;
(2) Disputes concerning the protection of online personal information or privacy rights;
(3) Disputes over the ownership, infringement, or contracts related to online virtual property;
(4) Disputes arising from online unfair competition;
(5) Disputes over the ownership, infringement, or contracts related to internet domain names;
(6) Disputes arising from the signing or execution of online shopping contracts via e-commerce platforms;
(7) Disputes concerning online service contracts where both the signing and execution of the contracts are conducted online;
(8) Administrative disputes arising from administrative acts taken by administrative authorities in relation to the supervision of online data, the regulation of online personal information protection, the oversight of online unfair competition, the management of online transactions, or the administration of online information services, etc.; and
(9) Online public interest litigation cases instituted by the procuratorates.
Foreign-related civil cases, as well as civil cases involving the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, or the Taiwan region, that meet the criteria specified in the preceding paragraph shall fall under the jurisdiction of Internet courts.
Subject to the approval of the Supreme People's Court, the relevant Higher People's Court may designate an Internet court to exercise jurisdiction over other specific types of online civil or administrative cases.
Rule 2 For civil disputes concerning contracts and other property rights and interests as specified in Rule 1 of these Provisions, the parties may, in accordance with the law, agree to subject to the jurisdiction of an Internet court at a place having a substantive connection with the dispute.
If the parties use standard clauses to agree on the jurisdiction of an Internet court over a case, such agreement shall comply with the provisions of laws and judicial interpretations regarding standard clauses.
Rule 3 Appellate cases against judgments or rulings made by an Internet court shall be heard by the Intermediate People's Court located in the same place as the Internet court. If there are multiple Intermediate People's Courts in that location, the appellate case shall be heard by the Intermediate People's Court designated by the Higher People's Court.
If the above appellate case falls under the jurisdiction of a specialized people's court, it shall be heard by the corresponding people's court.
Rule 4 These Provisions shall take effect on November 1, 2025. Cases accepted prior to the effective date of these Provisions shall continue to be handled by the people's court that originally accepted them.
In case of any inconsistency between previously issued judicial interpretations and these Provisions, these Provisions shall prevail.
