The 6th Golden Line Awards were announced on January 14. Two cases handled by Tian Yuan respectively won the "Golden Line Judicial Case Award (Anti-Monopoly and Unfair Competition)" and the "Golden Line Overseas Legal Service Award."

 

Golden Line Judicial Case Award - Anti-Monopoly and Unfair Competition

Li v. A Ride-Hailing Platform for Abuse of Market Dominance

Reason for the Award: This case clarified the approach to defining the relevant market in the ride-hailing sector and the antitrust review rules for pricing behavior of internet platforms. In particular, it provided clear determinations on reasonably defining the relevant market based on the specifics of the case and establishing that reasonable discounts for new users' first transactions do not constitute discriminatory treatment. The case offers guidance for pricing behavior and compliance operations of internet platform enterprises such as ride-hailing services and serves as an important reference for adjudicating similar antitrust disputes. It balances the maintenance of market competition order with the rationality of platform business models, holding significant importance. In the second-instance judgment of this case, the Supreme People's Court explicitly stated that ride-hailing services and traditional taxi services have a close demand substitution relationship. Consequently, it concluded that ride-hailing services do not constitute a separate relevant product (service) market, demonstrating innovation in scientifically and reasonably defining the relevant market. The Supreme People's Court also clarified that providing coupons to new users by ride-hailing platforms does not constitute monopolistic behavior under the Anti-Monopoly Law.

Lead Partners: Huang Wei, Zhu Fan, Zhou Wen, Yang Yi

 

Golden Line Overseas Legal Service Award

Case of Illegal Expropriation of Assets in Kenya Involving a Hong Kong Enterprise

Reason for the Award: This case is a typical transnational property dispute arising from the illegal expropriation of overseas assets of a Chinese-invested enterprise by a third party. The core legal challenge lay in the fact that the infringing party initiated a series of fraudulent lawsuits in Kenya by forging corporate documents and impersonating the rights holder, resulting in exceptionally complex factual and legal relationships. This made it extremely difficult for the legitimate rights holder to protect their interests overseas. The issue of "overseas assets being expropriated by third parties through fraudulent legal means," as involved in this case, represents a significant and increasingly common risk faced by Chinese enterprises operating abroad. The outstanding value of this case lies not only in recovering economic losses for the client but, more importantly, in providing the industry with a new, systematic resolution model.

Lead Lawyer: Wu Pengfei

 

The Golden Line Awards were jointly initiated by Gaoshan Legal and Wolters Kluwer, and are organized by Golden Line Legal Vision. They are committed to creating an authoritative ranking system that is scientific, innovative, and instructive.