Professor Petersen gave a lecture on the protection of migrant worker in Greenland-Denmnark-China interrelation

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Professor Petersen and Chair Professor Kimmo Nuotio

Professor of Legal Cultures at the University of Copenhagen, Professor Hanne Petersen, gave a guest lecture on the Migrant Labour Protection in the Greenland- China-DK Interrelation on 21 April 2015.

During the lecture, Prof. Petersen presented the legal and normative discourse, as well as related significant (case) material, concerned with the welfare of labour migrants – specifically, but not only, relating to future overseas Chinese working in mining industry in Greenland. This presentation was part of a larger project called ‘Welfare, Well-being and Harmony in World Society? Cases on changing legal cultures from China-Greenland-Denmark’. The project seeks to study global and local interrelations related to changing understandings and changing normative regimes of well-fare/-being. Alongside to the concerns of Chinese migrant workes, focus is put on two other issues: the latent emergence of a global normative culture due to climate change in China and the Arctic/Greenland (challenges to a harmonious society and to survival), and the pressures on families and (gendered) individuals to provide welfare and well-being in light of the importance of market economy and increasing inequality in China and EU/Denmark-Greenland.

The Center’s Guest Lecture Series receives scholars from China and other countries to present the recent developments in specific fields of Chinese law or their research related to Chinese law and Chinese legal culture. The purpose of this series is to keep all interested well informed about the transformations within Chinese law as well as bring awareness of the research focus among China Law scholars. Moreover, the guest lecture series aims to facilitate a cross-border exchange of ideas and promote legal comparison.

 

ChinaLawInfo is accessible to the student and staff of the member institutions

What is ChinaLawInfo?

Chinalawinfo is an advanced legal information retrieval system launched jointly with Peking Univerisity’s Legal Information Center. With continual improvements to technology and additions to content, ChinaLawInfo has evolved over the last 20 years into the largest and most professional legal research system in China.

The accessible databases are:

1. Laws & Regulations Database (法律法规) – www.pkulaw.com/law

2. Judicial Cases Database (司法案例) – www.pkulaw.com/case

3. Law Journal Database  (法学期刊) – www.pkulaw.com/journal

4. English Translations Database – www.pkulaw.com/english

5. Special Reference Database (专题参考) – www.pkulaw.com/reference

6. Law Firms Practice(律所实务)- www.pkulaw.com/lawfirm

Introduction to ChinaLawInfo databases and users guide of the Chinese language databases

For the English database, users can refer to the “search tips” in the English webpage http://www.pkulaw.com/english.

 

How can I access ChinaLawInfo?

The Center, with the help of the libraries of the Member Institutions, has made access to ChinaLawInfo available to the students and staff of its member institution. Each library has one computer from which ChinaLawInfo can be accessed:

 

Aalto University, Harald Herlin Learning Centre
Hanken School of Economics Library

 

University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu Campus Library
University of Helsinki Library, Kaisatalo 4th floor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students at the University of Lapland can access ChinaLawInfo from any of the computers on the first and second floor of their library.

Students at the University of Tampere can access ChinaLawInfo from one of the computers on the third floor of their library.

Students at the University of Turku can access ChinaLawInfo from the Calonia computer class (room Cal 230), 2nd floor of the Calonia building, the building for Faculty of Law.

 

 

China IPR Day III: Another Contribution of the TRANSIP project to the EU Community

12.17 Finnish SeminarChina IP Day III took place at the Finnish Embassy residence in Beijing on 17 December 2014. It was the third event that TransIP research project arranged to help the  European community understand the IP landscape in China.

The event consisted of two panel sessions. In the first session, titled ‘IP law reform and innovation strategy in China’, the panelists gave speeches on current IP law reform in China. Prof. Weiguang Wu from Tsinghua University briefly recalled the history of IP legislation in China. He argued that China is experiencing the transformation from a power-regulated IP system to a right-regulated IP system. In the future, a more right-oriented IP system would be established in China. After him, Prof. Yuying Guan from CASS offered an overview on current IP law reform in China. She picked up some important IP issues such as punitive damages in China and remarked on the solutions for the issue in relevant IP law proposals or newly adopted IP laws. The third speaker, Prof. Peter Yu from Drake Law School explained the drivers of IP system in China. He also offered some suggestions for foreign companies on setting IP strategies in China. Lastly, Mr. Dan du’Homme gave the audience insights on the hot disputes such as patent subsidies, service inventions in China and how IP key project assists the government to make its policies concerning these issues. After these four speeches, Prof. Niklas Bruun chaired the panel discussion. All speakers showed their optimistic attitude toward the IP system in China. They believe that the IP system in China will be better in the future thanks to the growing demand from domestic industries.

The second panel session focused on the establishment of specialized IP courts in China. In this session, first Prof. Mingde Li explained the reasons to establish IP specialized courts, their jurisdiction and their functions. Then Judge Jiang Ying from Beijing IP court presented the organization, operation and the judicial design of these special IP courts, as well as the future function of the courts.  The third speaker, Ms. Xi Chen from State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) discussed the Specialized IP courts from the perspective of an examiner. She pointed out some conflicting rules in the patent prosecution and in the patent litigation. She hoped that the rules will be more consistent and will offer more legal certainty for examiners and applicants through the decisions of the specialized IP courts. Lastly, Mr. Zhenhua Ni from King & Wood, expressed the expectations he holds from  the specialized IP courts. He pointed out his dissatisfaction with some element of the current legal litigation such as the low-awarded compensation for the damage and the local protectionism. He hoped that the IP courts can at least solve some of these issues.

In the end, Mr. Mikko Puhakka from Lion partners offered some suggestions for both domestic and international companies on dealing with IP issues based on his experience as a venture capital based in China for more than 5 years.

Together with Finnish Embassy in Beijing, the project group happily saw more than 40 people, both from China and EU, attending this small event. As the audience express their appreciation to the organizers,  the TRANSIP project will certainly arrange more seminars and workshops in the future to serve the need of the European, and  especially Finnish, business community.

 Authors: Yajie Zhao and He Kan

Governance of IP in China and Europe – TRANSIP Research Project Book Workshop at CASS

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TransIP project’s researchers gathered at the CASS, Institute of Law, to attended the closed workshop: ‘Governance of IP in China and EU’ held on 15-16 December 2014. It was a great honour for the project members to invite Professor Peter Yu to comment on the articles written by them.

In this workshop, each researcher presented his or her article that will constitute a contribution to the edited volume  IP and Governance in EU and China, to be  published by Edward Elgar in the forthcoming year. Each article received comments from two commentators. Additionally, all researchers in the group were free to express their opinions on the article.

After this workshop, it is believed that the book will attract the interests of academic circles as well as practitioners.

CASS Workshop
Participants to the workshop: (in the lower row from the left) Prof. Li Mingde, Prof. Niklas Bruun, Prof. Nari Lee; (in the upper row from the left) PhD Zhao Yajie, Dr Zhang Liguo, PhD He Kan, PhD Kelli Larson

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 Authors: Yajie Zhao and He Kan

 

The Center’s library collection is open to public

In the fall 2014, the China Law Center collection has been established as a separate section at the Kaisa-talo library in Helsinki. Ms. Liu Ying, a student in the International Business Law master program at the Faculty of Law (University of Helsinki), said that this collection has been already very helpful in her studies. As she is undertaking a comparative research on the identification of the relevant market in EU and Chinese competition law, she has found relevant textbooks that helped her to understand the legal background for her master thesis. She was surprised to find in Finland books that she used for her law studies in China and she would have never imagine that she could have such an easy access to Chinese legal materials thousands of kilometers away from home. Additionally, ‘the collection counts not only textbooks written by leading Chinese professors, but there is also the most famous Chinese legal novel Mutui Zhengyi’ Ms. Liu said.

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Ms. Liu Ying often consults the China Law Center collection while working on her master thesis.

The collection is based on book donations made by CASS Institute of Law and the CASS Law Library as well as Peking University Law School and Fudan University Law School. It offers about 400 titles on specific fields of Chinese law as well as contributions on the methodology of comparative legal research, in both Chinese and English. The books can be consulted only at the Kaisa-talo library, but researchers and students from Member Institutions can freely request inter-library loans.  As we seek to keep the collection growing we regularly exchange materials with partners in China. We invite you therefore to browse the Helka catalogue by using the collection call number “hc 4. krs oikeustiede china law center collection” to find the available titles.

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The Center promoted legal research cooperation at a Pure Finland event in Beijing

In autumn 2014 the capital of China, Beijing, was hit by a series events related to Finland and organized by Team Finland. Pure Finland events will present several aspects of Finland: its dynamic consumer brands; attractive options for tourists, investors and students; latest scientific and technological innovations; unique cultural creations and many others.

The University of Helsinki has been invited, as one of the main partners, to organize a Pure Finland event that promoted the higher education and research. The Science in Dialogue event was jointly hosted by Peking University and the University of Helsinki on the 26th of November 2014.

science in dialogue

The event aimed to find solutions to global challenges by joining the efforts of both Finnish and Chinese scholars. Leading researchers from both universities shared their views and inspiration on the following key topics: rule of law, cleaner air for all and the future of learning.

As the event focused also on legal research and education, the Center has been naturally invited to actively contribute. Although, the main topics were criminal law, environmental law and labor law, the results and achievements of other already existing research projects, carried out jointly by Finnish and Chinese scholars, were made visible.

The full program of the Science in Dialogue event can be download here

For the full program of all Pure Finland events, we invite you to visit their website.

Professor Li Zhao from Shanghai University visited Hanken School of Economics and IPR University Center

Hanken School of Economics, together with the IPR University Center, has hosted Associate Professor Li Zhao from Shanghai University on 21-24 November 2014.

This four day visiting stay was rich in activities, discussions and exchange. One of the highlights was the introduction of  the TRANSIP project, and of its accomplishments, by Professor Nari Lee. Professor Zhao congratulated its leaders for their intensive work and the successful outcomes. Professor Lee also presented the international master program in IP conducted at Hanken. Professor Zhao shared in return information on the current IP research at her university and outlined the development of IP strategies implemented by the government of Shanghai. In conclusion of this meeting, Professor Zhao expressed her wish to seek potential opportunities for cooperation between Shanghai University and Hanken.

Prof. Li Zhao visit at Hanken
Professor Nari Lee and Professor Li Zhao

Professor Zhao visited also the IPR University Center to meet with Professor Niklas Bruun, its Director,  Professor Olli Pitkänen, the Director of research and Ms Marja-Leena Mansala, the Secretary General. During the meeting Professor Zhao heard about how the Center came to existence, what are its functions, what research activities it carries and how the administration of the  Center operates. Following this visit,  Professor Zhao is not only interested  in furthering the cooperation with the IPR University Center, but she also considers to suggest to Shanghai University, and local government,the creation of a similar institution that would coordinate IP research and education.

During her visit stay in Helsinki, professor Zhao  gained a very broad view of the IP landscape in Finland, as she visited also the Finnish Patent and Registration Office and the Kolster Law Firm.

 Authors: Yajie Zhao and He Kan

The Center’s Director and the Director of CASS Institute of Law discussed the future of the Sino-Finnish cooperation

Professor Chen Su, Deputy Director of CASS Institute of Law, and Professor Ulla Liukkunen, the Director of the Center met in Beijing on 25 November 2014. They discussed the future of their joint research project on employee participation as well as possible ways to deepen the existing cooperation with the Center. The emphasis was put on the diversified expertise of the two institutions. The strength of the Center lies in the particular profiles of each of its Member Institutions, which can contribute in different and complementary ways to the cooperation. CASS, on the other hand, carries out research in all fields of social science, which is easily accessible to the Institute of Law. Both Professors hope therefore to advance a broader research agenda covering more fields of law and a multidisciplinary approach.

Furthermore, Professors Chen and Liukkunen agreed that diversity and novelty cannot be limited to the substance of the cooperation only. Indeed, in terms of its form, the cooperation could be taken further and go beyond those already well-established as the bilateral seminars, common publications and joint research projects. One possibility could be to create a long-term staff exchange program that will allow researchers to immerse into the Finnish and Chinese legal cultures.

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Professor Ulla Liukkunen and Director Chen Su at the CASS Institute in Beijing on25 November 2014.

Professors Chen and Liukkkunen, as leaders of a joint research project, discussed as well their forthcoming joint publication (2015) and future activities. An important part of the discussion evolved around the upcoming international research seminar, to be held in Helsinki in May 2015, which will bring together company law and employee participation. It was discussed as well that the closing seminar of the project could be held in Beijing in 2016.

Director Chen Su met also a delegation of Finnish criminal law lawyers, led by Professor Kimmo Nuotio. The delegation was invited by Prof. Liu Renwen to take part in a mini seminar, during which Professor Nuotio and Assistant Professor Sakari Melander spoke on terrorism.

 

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University of Lapland hosts an eminent expert in International Law, Professor Zhu Wenqi

The Faculty of Law at the University of Lapland had the pleasure to host an eminent expert in International Law, namely Dr Zhu Wenqi, Professor of International Law at Renmin University of China in Beijing and the Director of the International Criminal Law Institute and the International Humanitarian Law Centre.

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Professor Zhu was for many years a diplomat in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As Deputy Director of the International Public Law Division at the ministry, he was in charge of all legal issues touching upon international criminal justice and humanitarian law. His expertise has further developed when he held positions as Legal Assistant, Legal Advisor and Appeals Counsel in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (the ICTY) and that for Rwanda (the ICTR).

During his visiting stay, Professor Zhu gave an intensive course on International Criminal Law, which took place from Monday 13 October until Thursday 16 October 2014.

This research stay not only enhance the China Law education provided at the University of Lapland but also strengthens the already fruitful collaboration between this University and Remnin University of China.

For more information about the course, please visit the course website.