The ruling of the Supreme People’s Court of China has come into force, according to which the records in the blockchain are now legally binding and can be used as evidence in court.
Judicial interpretations of the Supreme People’s Court of China (SPC) entered into force on August 1, 2021, and will be applied in more than 3,500 Internet courts across the country.
The rules cover legal practice, general principles, applicable scope and applicable terms of online litigation. They provide guidance on how to carry out certain forensic actions, including verifying the authenticity of evidence on the blockchain.
SPC believes that “blockchain-based evidence will bring greater transparency, increased security, improved traceability, and will also improve the efficiency of Internet court litigation in China.” The rules allow the direct use of electronic documents in legal proceedings after verification in the courts.
The Chinese judiciary system recognizes multiple proof-of-chain certification platforms such as Baoquan.com, Ebaoquan.org, and IP360.net.
Earlier in 2018, the SPC authorized the storage and verification of evidence on blockchain-based platforms for use in cases pending in three Internet courts in Hangzhou, Beijing and Guangzhou. In these internet courts, all legal proceedings take place online. From January 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021, 12.19 million cases were registered online and 1.28 million online hearings were held.
