Shi Shuo Xin Yu 2024-05-11 17:01 Beijing

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Interim Provisions on Anti Unfair Competition on the Internet

(Promulgated by Order No. 91 of the State Administration for Market Regulation on May 6, 2024, effective from September 1, 2024)

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1: In order to prevent and stop online unfair competition, maintain a fair market order, encourage innovation, protect the legitimate rights and interests of operators and consumers, and promote the standardized and healthy development of the digital economy, this regulation is formulated in accordance with the Anti Unfair Competition Law of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Anti Unfair Competition Law), the Electronic Commerce Law of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Electronic Commerce Law) and other laws and administrative regulations.

Article 2: Encourage and support business operators to carry out business activities in accordance with the law and participate in market competition fairly. Operators engaged in production and business activities through the Internet and other information networks (hereinafter referred to as the network) shall follow the principles of voluntariness, equality, fairness and integrity, comply with laws, regulations and rules, and comply with business ethics.

Operators shall not engage in online unfair competition, disrupt market competition order, affect fair market transactions, or harm the legitimate rights and interests of other operators or consumers.

Article 3: The State Administration for Market Regulation is responsible for supervising and guiding the work of combating unfair competition in the national network, and organizing the investigation and punishment of cases of network unfair competition with significant impact nationwide.

Local market supervision and management departments at or above the county level shall investigate and deal with acts of unfair competition on the internet in accordance with the law.

In the process of investigating and punishing illegal activities, market supervision and management departments should adhere to the rule of law in administration, ensuring strict, standardized, fair, and civilized law enforcement.

Article 4: The market supervision and administration department shall, in conjunction with all member units of the coordination mechanism for anti unfair competition work, implement major policies and measures against online anti unfair competition, study major issues related to online anti unfair competition work, jointly investigate and handle major cases, and work together to promote comprehensive governance.

Each member unit of the coordination mechanism for anti unfair competition work shall, in accordance with their respective responsibilities, strengthen the management of industries such as finance, media, and telecommunications in accordance with the law, take effective measures to prevent and stop acts of online unfair competition.

Article 5: The state encourages, supports, and protects all organizations and individuals to exercise social supervision over acts of unfair competition on the internet. Any unit or individual has the right to report suspected acts of unfair competition on the internet to the market supervision and management department in accordance with the law. After receiving the report, the market supervision and management department shall promptly handle it.

Industry organizations should strengthen industry self-discipline, guide and regulate members to compete in accordance with the law and regulations.

Article 6: Platform operators shall strengthen the standardized management of competition behavior within the platform. If they discover that platform operators engage in unfair competition, illegally sell goods or provide services, or infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, they shall take necessary measures in a timely manner, keep relevant records, and report to the market supervision and management department at or above the county level in the place where the platform operator resides in accordance with regulations. The record retention time shall be calculated from the date of taking disposal measures and shall not be less than three years.

Chapter 2 Unfair Competition on the Internet

Article 7: Business operators shall not use the internet to engage in the following confusing behaviors, leading people to mistakenly believe that they are the goods of others (including services as referred to in these regulations) or have specific connections with others:

（1） Unauthorized use of domain name entities, website names, web pages, and other similar or identical identifiers that have a certain influence on others;

（2） Unauthorized use of product names, enterprise names (including abbreviations, trade names, etc.), social organization names (including abbreviations, etc.), and names (including pen names, stage names, translations, etc.) that have a certain influence on others as part of the main body of domain names and other online business activities identification;

（3） Unauthorized use of the same or similar logo in page design, name, icon, shape, etc. of application software, online store, client, applet, official account, game interface, etc. that have certain influence on others;

（4） Unauthorized use of internet nicknames, symbols, abbreviations, and other symbols that have a certain influence on others;

（5） The production and sales of goods that are sufficient to mislead people into thinking that they are goods of others or have specific connections with others;

（6） By providing convenient conditions such as online business premises, and jointly engaging in confusion behavior with other operators;

（7） Other confusing behaviors implemented through the internet that can lead people to mistakenly believe that they are products of others or have specific connections with others.

Unauthorized setting of commercial logos that have a certain influence on others as search keywords, which can lead people to mistakenly believe that they are products of others or have specific connections with others, constitutes the act of confusion as stipulated in the preceding paragraph.

Article 8: Business operators shall not use the following methods to make false or misleading commercial advertisements to the production and operation entities of commodities, as well as the performance, function, quality, source, honors, qualifications, etc. of commodities, to deceive or mislead consumers or relevant public:

（1） Display, demonstrate, explain, explain, promote or annotate through website, client, applet, official account, etc;

（2） Implement commercial marketing activities through live streaming, platform recommendations, online copywriting, and other means;

（3） Implement commercial marketing activities through hot searches, reviews, referrals, rankings, and other methods;

（4） Other false or misleading commercial propaganda.

Operators shall not assist other operators in carrying out false or misleading commercial propaganda activities as mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

Article 9: Business operators shall not engage in the following behaviors to make false or misleading commercial advertisements to the production and operation entities of commodities, as well as the sales status, transaction information, business data, user evaluations, etc., to deceive or mislead consumers or relevant public:

（1） False transactions and false rankings;

（2） Fictitious transaction volume, transaction volume, reservation volume, and other data information related to business operations;

（3） Using false claims of spot goods, fictitious bookings, false rush purchases, and other methods for marketing;

（4） Fabricating user reviews, or using misleading displays to conceal negative reviews, placing positive reviews before, negative reviews after, and indistinguishable reviews of different products;

（5） Using methods such as cashback, red envelopes, and coupons to lure users into making designated positive reviews, likes, targeted voting, and other interactive behaviors;

（6） Fictitious collection volume, click through volume, follow volume, like volume, reading volume, subscription volume, forwarding volume and other traffic data;

（7） Fictitious interactive data such as voting volume, listening volume, viewing volume, playback volume, box office, and ratings;

（8） Fictitious education and training effects such as enrollment rate, exam pass rate, and employment rate;

（9） Using methods such as forging word-of-mouth, fabricating topics, creating false public opinion hotspots, and fabricating the income of online job seekers for marketing;

（10） Other false or misleading commercial promotional activities.

Operators shall not assist other operators in carrying out false or misleading commercial propaganda activities as mentioned in the preceding paragraph by organizing false transactions, false rankings, or other means.

Article 10: Operators shall not use property or other means to bribe platform staff, units or individuals who have an impact on transactions, in order to seek trading opportunities or competitive advantages in terms of traffic, ranking, and post services.

The property referred to in the preceding paragraph includes cash, items, virtual assets on the internet, as well as other property rights and interests such as gift certificates, funds, shares, debt relief, etc.

Article 11: Business operators shall not use the internet to fabricate or disseminate false or misleading information, and shall engage in the following behaviors that may damage or potentially damage the commercial reputation and commodity reputation of competitors:

（1） Organize and instigate others to make malicious evaluations of competitors' products;

（2） Utilize, organize, or instruct others to disseminate false or misleading information through the internet;

（3） Using the internet to disseminate risk warnings, customer notices, warning letters, or reporting letters containing false or misleading information;

（4） Other behaviors that fabricate or disseminate false or misleading information, damaging the commercial reputation and product reputation of competitors.

Clients, applets, operators of official account, and organizations or individuals that provide post comment services shall not knowingly cooperate with operators in the conduct of the preceding paragraph.

The commercial reputation referred to in this article refers to the credit and reputation of an operator in commercial activities, including the evaluation of the operator's credit status, business ethics, technical level, economic strength, and other aspects by the relevant public.

The product reputation referred to in this article refers to the reputation and popularity of the product in terms of quality, brand, and other aspects.

Article 12 Operators shall not use the Internet, big data, algorithms and other technical means to interfere with the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators by influencing users' choice or other means to carry out traffic hijacking, interference, malicious incompatibility and other acts.

The influence on user choices referred to in the preceding paragraph includes violating user wishes and choices, increasing operational complexity, and disrupting usage coherence.

To determine whether it constitutes unfair competition as stipulated in the first paragraph, full consideration should be given to factors such as whether it is conducive to technological innovation and industry development.

Article 13 Without the consent of other operators, operators shall not use technological means to insert links or force target redirection, etc., to obstruct or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators:

（1） Insert jump links or embed one's own or others' products or services in the network products or services legally provided by other operators;

（2） Using keyword associations, setting false operation options, and other methods to set links to one's own products or services, deceiving or misleading users to click;

（3） Other behaviors of inserting links or forcing target redirection.

Article 14: Business operators shall not use technological means to mislead, deceive, or force users to modify, close, or uninstall network products or services such as devices, functions, or other programs legally provided by other business operators.

Article 15: Operators shall not use technological means to maliciously implement incompatibility with the network products or services legally provided by other operators.

To determine whether the operator maliciously implements incompatibility with the network products or services legally provided by other operators, the following factors can be comprehensively considered:

（1） Do you know or should you know that incompatible behavior will hinder or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators;

（2） Does the incompatible behavior affect the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators, and does it affect the open sharing of the network ecosystem;

（3） Whether the incompatible behavior is targeted at specific objects and violates the principles of fairness, reasonableness, and non discrimination;

（4） The impact of incompatible behavior on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, third-party operators using the network product or service, and the public interest of society;

（5） Whether incompatible behaviors comply with industry practices, industry norms, self-discipline conventions, etc;

（6） Does the incompatible behavior lead to an unreasonable increase in the cost of network products or services legally provided by other operators;

（7） Is there a legitimate reason.

Article 16: Business operators shall not use technological means, directly, organize or through third parties, to obstruct or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators:

（1） Intentionally engaging in large-scale and high-frequency transactions with other operators in a short period of time, or giving positive feedback, resulting in other operators being subjected to actions such as search rights reduction, credit rating reduction, product delisting, disconnection of links, and suspension of services;

（2） Malicious bulk purchase of goods without payment in a short period of time;

（3） Malicious bulk purchases followed by returns or refusal to receive goods.

Article 17: Operators shall not intercept or block the information content and pages legally provided by specific operators, obstruct or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators, and disrupt the fair competition order in the market. Intercept and block illegal information, except for frequently popping up information that interferes with normal user use and floating windows that do not provide a closing method.

Article 18: Business operators shall not use technological means to interfere with the normal transactions between other operators, obstruct or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators, and disrupt the fair competition order of the market by influencing user selection, limiting flow, blocking, reducing search rights, and delisting goods.

Operators shall not use technological means to restrict trading partners, sales areas or time, participate in promotional activities, etc., to affect the business choices of other operators, hinder or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by trading counterparties, and disrupt the order of fair trading in the market.

Article 19: Business operators shall not use technological means to illegally obtain or use data legally held by other operators, obstruct or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators, and disrupt the fair competition order in the market.

Article 20: Business operators shall not use technological means to unreasonably provide different trading conditions to counterparties with the same conditions, infringe upon the counterparty's right of choice and fair trading, hinder or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators, and disrupt the order of fair trading in the market.

The following situations do not belong to the unfair competition behavior specified in the preceding paragraph:

（1） Implement different trading conditions based on the actual needs of the counterparty and in accordance with legitimate trading habits and industry practices;

（2） Promotion activities for new users within a reasonable period of time;

（3） Random transactions based on fair, reasonable, and non discriminatory rules.

Article 21: Business operators shall not use technological means to engage in activities that obstruct or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators through the following means:

（1） Download, install, and run applications against the user's wishes;

（2） Without justifiable reasons, intercept, delay review, take down, and interfere with the downloading, installation, operation, updating, and dissemination of network products or services lawfully provided by other operators;

（3） Not providing uninstallation function for non essential applications running on related devices or setting unreasonable obstacles for uninstallation of applications;

（4） Without justifiable reasons, engaging in behaviors such as reducing search rights, restricting service content, and adjusting the natural ranking of search results for network products or services lawfully provided by other operators;

（5） Other behaviors that hinder or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators.

Article 22: Business operators shall not violate these regulations, engage in other online unfair competition behaviors, disrupt market competition order, affect fair market transactions, or harm the legitimate rights and interests of other business operators or consumers.

Article 23: Platform operators with competitive advantages shall not, without justifiable reasons, use technological means, abuse the advantages of backend transaction data, traffic and other information, as well as management rules, obstruct or disrupt the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators by blocking third-party business information, improperly interfering with the order of product display, etc., and disrupt the fair competition order in the market.

Article 24: Platform operators shall not use service agreements, transaction rules and other means to impose unreasonable restrictions or conditions on the transactions, transaction prices, and transactions with other operators within the platform. This mainly includes the following situations:

（1） Force platform operators to sign exclusive agreements;

（2） Unreasonable restrictions on the price, sales target, sales area, or sales time of goods;

（3） Unreasonable deduction of margin, reduction of subsidies, discounts, and restrictions on traffic resources;

（4） Using service agreements and transaction rules to impose other unreasonable restrictions or additional unreasonable conditions on the transactions of operators within the platform.

Article 25: Platform operators shall fairly and reasonably determine the fee standards in service agreements and transaction rules, and shall not violate commercial ethics and industry practices by charging unreasonable service fees to platform operators.

Article 26: When determining whether it constitutes obstruction or disruption to the normal operation of network products or services legally provided by other operators, the following factors may be comprehensively considered:

（1） Whether the network products or services legally provided by other operators cannot be used normally;

（2） Whether the network products or services legally provided by other operators cannot be downloaded, installed, updated or uninstalled normally;

（3） Whether the cost of network products or services legally provided by other operators has increased unreasonably;

（4） Whether the number of users or visits to network products or services legally provided by other operators has been unreasonably reduced;

（5） Whether the legitimate interests of users have suffered losses, or whether the user experience and satisfaction have decreased;

（6） Frequency and duration of behavior;

（7） The geographical and temporal scope of the impact of behavior;

（8） Whether to use the network products or services of other operators to seek illegitimate benefits.

Chapter 3 Supervision and Inspection

Article 27: The jurisdiction over cases of online unfair competition shall be governed by the Administrative Penalty Procedure Regulations for Market Supervision and Administration.

If the reporting of online unfair competition behavior is relatively concentrated, or causes serious consequences or other adverse effects, it may be under the jurisdiction of the local market supervision and management department at or above the district level in the actual place of operation or the place where the illegal results occur.

Article 28: The market supervision and administration department shall strengthen the monitoring of online unfair competition behavior, and if any illegal behavior is found, it shall be investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law.

In the process of investigating cases of online unfair competition, the market supervision and administration department shall truthfully provide relevant information or circumstances to the investigated operators, stakeholders, and other relevant units and individuals, and shall not forge or destroy the involved data and related materials, nor obstruct the market supervision and administration department from fulfilling its duties in accordance with the law, nor refuse or obstruct the investigation.

Article 29: Based on the needs of case handling, the market supervision and administration department may entrust third-party professional institutions to collect and fix electronic evidence related to the case, and audit financial data.

Article 30: For new and difficult cases, the market supervision and management department may appoint expert observers to participate in the investigation. Expert observers can provide suggestions on whether the competitive behavior of operators has legitimate reasons such as promoting innovation, improving efficiency, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of consumers based on their professional knowledge, business skills, practical experience, etc.

Article 31: The market supervision and management department and its staff, third-party professional institutions, expert observers, etc. shall have the obligation to keep confidential any trade secrets they become aware of during the investigation process.

Staff members of the market supervision and management department who abuse their power, neglect their duties, engage in favoritism and fraud, or disclose trade secrets learned during the investigation process shall be punished in accordance with the law.

Chapter 4 Legal Liability

Article 32: If a platform operator violates Article 6 of these Regulations by failing to preserve information in accordance with regulations, or fails to take necessary measures against the infringement of the legitimate rights and interests of consumers by platform operators, the market supervision and administration department shall impose penalties in accordance with the provisions of Article 80 and Article 83 of the E-commerce Law.

Article 33: If an operator violates Article 7 of these Regulations, the market supervision and administration department shall impose penalties in accordance with Article 18 of the Anti Unfair Competition Law.

Article 34: If an operator violates Articles 8 and 9 of these Regulations, the market supervision and administration department shall impose penalties in accordance with Article 20 of the Anti Unfair Competition Law.

Article 35: If an operator violates Article 10 of these Regulations, the market supervision and administration department shall impose penalties in accordance with the provisions of Article 19 of the Anti Unfair Competition Law.

Article 36: If an operator violates Article 11 of these Regulations, the market supervision and administration department shall impose penalties in accordance with the provisions of Article 23 of the Anti Unfair Competition Law.

Article 37: If an operator violates Articles 12 to 23 of these Regulations and obstructs or disrupts the normal operation of network products or services lawfully provided by other operators, the market supervision and administration department shall impose penalties in accordance with Article 24 of the Anti Unfair Competition Law.

Article 38: If a platform operator violates Articles 24 and 25 of these Regulations, the market supervision and administration department shall impose penalties in accordance with Article 82 of the E-commerce Law.

Article 39: If an operator violates Article 28 of these Regulations, the market supervision and administration department shall impose penalties in accordance with the provisions of Article 28 of the Anti Unfair Competition Law.

Article 40: If there are other provisions in laws and administrative regulations regarding the investigation and punishment of acts of unfair competition on the Internet, such provisions shall prevail.

If an operator uses the internet to exclude or restrict competition, which constitutes a monopolistic behavior, it shall be dealt with in accordance with the Anti Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China.

Article 41: If an operator violates these regulations and obtains illegal gains, in accordance with Article 28 of the Administrative Penalty Law of the People's Republic of China, except for those that should be refunded according to law, they shall be confiscated.

Article 42: If a violation of these regulations is suspected of constituting a crime and criminal responsibility needs to be pursued in accordance with the law, the market supervision and management department shall promptly transfer the case to the public security organs for processing in accordance with relevant regulations.

Chapter 5 Supplementary Provisions

Article 43: These regulations shall come into effect on September 1, 2024.

Interpretation of the Regulations

In order to prevent and stop unfair competition on the internet, maintain a fair market order, encourage innovation, protect the legitimate rights and interests of operators and consumers, and promote the standardized, healthy and sustainable development of the digital economy, the State Administration for Market Regulation recently released the Provisional Regulations on Anti Unfair Competition on the Internet (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"), which will come into effect on September 1, 2024. The relevant situation is now interpreted as follows.

1、 What is the background of the promulgation of the Regulations?

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to "build a unified national market, deepen the market-oriented reform of factors, build a high standard market system, improve the basic system of market economy such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, and social credit, and optimize the business environment.". Accelerating the construction of a unified national market is a major deployment made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council from a global and strategic perspective. Fair competition is a key element and powerful driving force in accelerating the construction of a unified national market. Anti unfair competition plays a fundamental role in maintaining fair competition and is related to the basic level and quality of the market economy. On the one hand, with the rapid development of China's digital economy, information technology innovation and iteration, traditional unfair competition behaviors such as counterfeiting, confusion, false propaganda, and commercial slander are reinventing themselves with Internet technology, and new types of online unfair competition behaviors such as reverse order swiping, illegal data acquisition are more hidden, which hinder the improvement of economic operation efficiency, restrict the free flow and fair competition of goods and factors, and restrict the formation of a unified national market. In this regard, it is urgent to strengthen fair competition governance and continuously improve efficient, complete, transparent, and predictable regulatory mechanisms. On the other hand, the global competitive landscape is accelerating adjustment, and a new generation of economic and trade rules is being formed, making institutional competition an important part of international competition. Other countries and regions have made a series of new institutional arrangements for the digital economy, and combating unfair competition has become an important focus of international economic and trade rules. In this regard, it is urgent to strengthen forward-looking dynamic research, promote China's competition policy to align with international rules, improve the trade and investment environment, and continue to deepen institutional openness in the field of competition.

  The Regulations aim to improve and clarify the traffic light rules for online competition behavior, provide clear guidance and bottom line for various business entities, ensure the efficient and orderly operation of market competition mechanisms on the track of the rule of law, guide digital technology to better empower, and lead China's competitiveness to continuously improve.

2、 What are the main principles followed in drafting and formulating the Regulations?

One is to persist in encouraging innovation. Protect the innovation achievements of enterprises, and strive to promote the Internet industry to maximize its innovation potential. The second is to adhere to standardized competition. Ensure fair transactions between entities of different scales, promote coordinated development of various enterprises, prevent disorderly competition, and focus on creating a good market environment. The third is to adhere to a problem oriented approach. Starting from the strategic height of building a new competitive advantage for the country, we will focus on improving the standards and regulatory requirements for identifying online unfair competition behaviors in response to the urgent need for standardization. The fourth is to adhere to an open perspective. We will provide high-level services for opening up to the outside world, enhance the foresight, pertinence, and effectiveness of institutional supply, and focus on building a fair competition system that is in line with high standard international rules.

3、 What are the main contents of the Regulations?

The Regulations consist of five chapters and 43 articles, divided into general provisions, online unfair competition behavior, supervision and inspection, legal responsibility, and supplementary provisions. The main content is as follows.

（1） Clarify overall requirements. The Regulations aim to maintain a fair competition market order, encourage innovation, protect the legitimate rights and interests of operators and consumers, and promote the healthy and sustainable development of the digital economy. They innovate regulatory models, clarify collaborative regulatory mechanisms, coordinate various forces, and focus on improving the efficiency of comprehensive governance.

（2） Comprehensively sort out and list online unfair competition behaviors. Based on the complex and ever-changing characteristics of online competition behavior, the Regulations classify and refine online unfair competition behavior, and clarify the identification criteria. One is to clarify the new manifestations of traditional unfair competition behaviors such as counterfeiting, confusion, and false advertising in the online environment, regulate hot issues such as brushing orders, speculation, and cashback of positive reviews, and focus on eliminating regulatory blind spots. The second is to refine the regulation of online unfair competition behavior under the Anti Unfair Competition Law, listing the manifestations and identification factors of traffic hijacking, malicious interference, and malicious incompatibility. The third is to regulate new types of unfair competition behaviors implemented through technological means such as reverse brushing, illegal data acquisition, and discriminatory treatment. At the same time, establish fallback clauses to provide regulatory basis for possible new problems and behaviors.

（3） Strengthen platform responsibility. Platform enterprises have access to massive amounts of data and connect a large number of entities, which is not only a key target for regulating unfair competition in the network, but also a key node for collaborative supervision. The Regulations highlight the responsibility of platform entities, urge platform enterprises to strengthen standardized management of competitive behavior within the platform, and regulate issues such as abusing data algorithms to gain competitive advantages.

（4） Optimize the procedures for law enforcement and case handling. In response to the wide radiation, cross platform, and cross regional characteristics of online unfair competition, special provisions are made for the supervision and inspection procedures, and jurisdiction is determined based on the connection points of major cases. Establish an expert observer system to provide intellectual and technical support for solving difficult issues in cases of online unfair competition.

（5） Clarify legal responsibilities. Give full play to the combination of laws and regulations in the field of market supervision, and effectively connect laws such as the E-commerce Law, the Anti Monopoly Law, and the Administrative Penalty Law within the framework of the Anti Unfair Competition Law. At the same time, the legal responsibility for confiscating illegal gains has been clarified, and regulatory effectiveness has been strengthened.

4、 What measures have been proposed by the Regulations in response to new forms of unfair competition in the field of the internet?

The Regulations have refined the constituent elements and identification factors of online unfair competition behavior in the Anti Unfair Competition Law, which is conducive to a more comprehensive analysis of the legitimacy of the behavior involved, avoiding inappropriate intervention in market free competition and hindering technological development and innovation. The Regulations list online unfair competition behaviors such as reverse brushing, malicious interception or blocking, illegal data acquisition, platform operators imposing unreasonable restrictions or adding unreasonable conditions on platform operators, and clarify the applicable legal provisions.

5、 What are the plans of the State Administration for the next step in implementing the Regulations?

The Regulations are an important institutional guarantee for guiding various business entities to compete in an orderly and innovative manner, and will be implemented from September 1, 2024.   At the same time, the State Administration for Market Regulation will increase guidance on the law enforcement work of local market supervision departments, timely formulate law enforcement guidelines, improve the legal administrative level of grassroots law enforcement personnel, continuously improve the scientific, normative, coordinated, and stable nature of supervision, and achieve fair supervision, correct execution, and service development.

《网络反不正当竞争暂行规定》全文来了！（附相关解读）

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网络反不正当竞争暂行规定

（2024年5月6日国家市场监督管理总局令第91号公布 自2024年9月1日起施行）

第一章 总则

第一条   为了预防和制止网络不正当竞争行为，维护公平竞争的市场秩序，鼓励创新，保护经营者和消费者的合法权益，促进数字经济规范持续健康发展，根据《中华人民共和国反不正当竞争法》（以下简称反不正当竞争法）、《中华人民共和国电子商务法》（以下简称电子商务法）等法律、行政法规，制定本规定。

第二条   鼓励和支持经营者依法开展经营活动，公平参与市场竞争。经营者通过互联网等信息网络（以下简称网络）从事生产经营活动，应当遵循自愿、平等、公平、诚信的原则，遵守法律法规规章，遵守商业道德。

经营者不得实施网络不正当竞争行为，扰乱市场竞争秩序，影响市场公平交易，损害其他经营者或者消费者的合法权益。

第三条   国家市场监督管理总局负责监督指导全国网络反不正当竞争工作，组织查处全国范围内有重大影响的网络不正当竞争案件。

县级以上地方市场监督管理部门依法对网络不正当竞争行为进行查处。

市场监督管理部门在查处违法行为过程中，应当坚持依法行政，保证严格、规范、公正、文明执法。

第四条   市场监督管理部门应当会同反不正当竞争工作协调机制各成员单位，贯彻落实网络反不正当竞争重大政策措施，研究网络反不正当竞争工作重大问题，联合查处重大案件，协同推进综合治理。

反不正当竞争工作协调机制各成员单位应当按照职责分工，依法加强金融、传媒、电信等行业管理，采取有效措施，预防和制止网络不正当竞争行为。

第五条   国家鼓励、支持和保护一切组织和个人对网络不正当竞争行为进行社会监督。对涉嫌网络不正当竞争行为，任何单位和个人有权依法向市场监督管理部门举报，市场监督管理部门接到举报后应当及时处理。

行业组织应当加强行业自律，引导、规范会员依法合规竞争。

第六条   平台经营者应当加强对平台内竞争行为的规范管理，发现平台内经营者采取不正当竞争方式，违法销售商品、提供服务，或者侵害消费者合法权益的行为，应当及时采取必要的处置措施，保存有关记录，并按规定向平台经营者住所地县级以上市场监督管理部门报告。记录保存时间自作出处置措施之日起计算，不少于三年。

第二章 网络不正当竞争行为

第七条   经营者不得利用网络实施下列混淆行为，引人误以为是他人商品（本规定所称商品包括服务）或者与他人存在特定联系：

（一）擅自使用与他人有一定影响的域名主体部分、网站名称、网页等相同或者近似的标识；

（二）擅自将他人有一定影响的商品名称、企业名称（包括简称、字号等）、社会组织名称（包括简称等）、姓名（包括笔名、艺名、译名等）作为域名主体部分等网络经营活动标识；

（三）擅自使用与他人有一定影响的应用软件、网店、客户端、小程序、公众号、游戏界面等的页面设计、名称、图标、形状等相同或者近似的标识；

（四）擅自使用他人有一定影响的网络代称、网络符号、网络简称等标识；

（五）生产销售足以引人误认为是他人商品或者与他人存在特定联系的商品；

（六）通过提供网络经营场所等便利条件，与其他经营者共同实施混淆行为；

（七）其他利用网络实施的足以引人误认为是他人商品或者与他人存在特定联系的混淆行为。

擅自将他人有一定影响的商业标识设置为搜索关键词，足以引人误认为是他人商品或者与他人存在特定联系的，属于前款规定的混淆行为。

第八条   经营者不得采取下列方式，对商品生产经营主体以及商品性能、功能、质量、来源、曾获荣誉、资格资质等作虚假或者引人误解的商业宣传，欺骗、误导消费者或者相关公众：

（一）通过网站、客户端、小程序、公众号等进行展示、演示、说明、解释、推介或者文字标注；

（二）通过直播、平台推荐、网络文案等方式，实施商业营销活动；

（三）通过热搜、热评、热转、榜单等方式，实施商业营销活动；

（四）其他虚假或者引人误解的商业宣传。

经营者不得帮助其他经营者实施前款虚假或者引人误解的商业宣传行为。

第九条   经营者不得实施下列行为，对商品生产经营主体以及商品销售状况、交易信息、经营数据、用户评价等作虚假或者引人误解的商业宣传，欺骗、误导消费者或者相关公众：

（一）虚假交易、虚假排名；

（二）虚构交易额、成交量、预约量等与经营有关的数据信息；

（三）采用谎称现货、虚构预订、虚假抢购等方式进行营销；

（四）编造用户评价，或者采用误导性展示等方式隐匿差评、将好评前置、差评后置、不显著区分不同商品的评价等；

（五）以返现、红包、卡券等方式利诱用户作出指定好评、点赞、定向投票等互动行为；

（六）虚构收藏量、点击量、关注量、点赞量、阅读量、订阅量、转发量等流量数据；

（七）虚构投票量、收听量、观看量、播放量、票房、收视率等互动数据；

（八）虚构升学率、考试通过率、就业率等教育培训效果；

（九）采用伪造口碑、炮制话题、制造虚假舆论热点、虚构网络就业者收入等方式进行营销；

（十）其他虚假或者引人误解的商业宣传行为。

经营者不得通过组织虚假交易、组织虚假排名等方式，帮助其他经营者实施前款虚假或者引人误解的商业宣传行为。

第十条   经营者不得采用财物或者其他手段，贿赂平台工作人员、对交易有影响的单位或者个人，以谋取交易机会或者在流量、排名、跟帖服务等方面的竞争优势。

前款所称的财物，包括现金、物品、网络虚拟财产以及礼券、基金、股份、债务免除等其他财产权益。

第十一条   经营者不得利用网络编造、传播虚假信息或者误导性信息，实施下列损害或者可能损害竞争对手的商业信誉、商品声誉的行为：

（一）组织、指使他人对竞争对手的商品进行恶意评价；

（二）利用或者组织、指使他人通过网络散布虚假或者误导性信息；

（三）利用网络传播含有虚假或者误导性信息的风险提示、告客户书、警告函或者举报信等；

（四）其他编造、传播虚假或者误导性信息，损害竞争对手商业信誉、商品声誉的行为。

客户端、小程序、公众号运营者以及提供跟帖评论服务的组织或者个人，不得故意与经营者共同实施前款行为。

本条所称的商业信誉，是指经营者在商业活动中的信用和名誉，包括相关公众对该经营者的资信状况、商业道德、技术水平、经济实力等方面的评价。

本条所称的商品声誉，是指商品在质量、品牌等方面的美誉度和知名度。

第十二条   经营者不得利用互联网、大数据、算法等技术手段，通过影响用户选择或者其他方式，实施流量劫持、干扰、恶意不兼容等行为，妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行。

前款所称的影响用户选择，包括违背用户意愿和选择权、增加操作复杂性、破坏使用连贯性等。

判定是否构成第一款规定的不正当竞争行为，应当充分考虑是否有利于技术创新和行业发展等因素。

第十三条   未经其他经营者同意，经营者不得利用技术手段，实施下列插入链接或者强制进行目标跳转等行为，妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行：

（一）在其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务中，插入跳转链接、嵌入自己或者他人的产品或者服务；

（二）利用关键词联想、设置虚假操作选项等方式，设置指向自身产品或者服务的链接，欺骗或者误导用户点击；

（三）其他插入链接或者强制进行目标跳转的行为。

第十四条   经营者不得利用技术手段，误导、欺骗、强迫用户修改、关闭、卸载其他经营者合法提供的设备、功能或者其他程序等网络产品或者服务。

第十五条   经营者不得利用技术手段，恶意对其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务实施不兼容。

判定经营者是否恶意对其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务实施不兼容，可以综合考虑以下因素：

（一）是否知道或者应当知道不兼容行为会妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行；

（二）不兼容行为是否影响其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行，是否影响网络生态开放共享；

（三）不兼容行为是否针对特定对象，是否违反公平、合理、无歧视原则；

（四）不兼容行为对消费者、使用该网络产品或者服务的第三方经营者合法权益以及社会公共利益的影响；

（五）不兼容行为是否符合行业惯例、从业规范、自律公约等；

（六）不兼容行为是否导致其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务成本不合理增加；

（七）是否有正当理由。

第十六条   经营者不得利用技术手段，直接、组织或者通过第三方实施以下行为，妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行：

（一）故意在短期内与其他经营者发生大规模、高频次交易，或者给予好评等，使其他经营者受到搜索降权、降低信用等级、商品下架、断开链接、停止服务等处置；

（二）恶意在短期内批量拍下商品不付款；

（三）恶意批量购买后退货或者拒绝收货等。

第十七条   经营者不得针对特定经营者，拦截、屏蔽其合法提供的信息内容以及页面，妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行，扰乱市场公平竞争秩序。拦截、屏蔽非法信息，频繁弹出干扰用户正常使用的信息以及不提供关闭方式的漂浮视窗等除外。

第十八条   经营者不得利用技术手段，通过影响用户选择、限流、屏蔽、搜索降权、商品下架等方式，干扰其他经营者之间的正常交易，妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务的正常运行，扰乱市场公平竞争秩序。

经营者不得利用技术手段，通过限制交易对象、销售区域或者时间、参与促销推广活动等，影响其他经营者的经营选择，妨碍、破坏交易相对方合法提供的网络产品或者服务的正常运行，扰乱市场公平交易秩序。

第十九条   经营者不得利用技术手段，非法获取、使用其他经营者合法持有的数据，妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务的正常运行，扰乱市场公平竞争秩序。

第二十条   经营者不得利用技术手段，对条件相同的交易相对方不合理地提供不同的交易条件，侵害交易相对方的选择权、公平交易权等，妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行，扰乱市场公平交易秩序。

以下情形不属于前款规定的不正当竞争行为：

（一）根据交易相对人实际需求且符合正当的交易习惯和行业惯例，实行不同交易条件；

（二）针对新用户在合理期限内开展的优惠活动；

（三）基于公平、合理、无歧视的规则实施的随机性交易。

第二十一条   经营者不得利用技术手段，通过下列方式，实施妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行的行为：

（一）违背用户意愿下载、安装、运行应用程序；

（二）无正当理由，对其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务实施拦截、拖延审查、下架，以及其他干扰下载、安装、运行、更新、传播等行为；

（三）对相关设备运行非必需的应用程序不提供卸载功能或者对应用程序卸载设置不合理障碍；

（四）无正当理由，对其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务，实施搜索降权、限制服务内容、调整搜索结果的自然排序等行为；

（五）其他妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行的行为。

第二十二条   经营者不得违反本规定，实施其他网络不正当竞争行为，扰乱市场竞争秩序，影响市场公平交易，损害其他经营者或者消费者合法权益。

第二十三条   具有竞争优势的平台经营者没有正当理由，不得利用技术手段，滥用后台交易数据、流量等信息优势以及管理规则，通过屏蔽第三方经营信息、不正当干扰商品展示顺序等方式，妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行，扰乱市场公平竞争秩序。

第二十四条   平台经营者不得利用服务协议、交易规则等手段，对平台内经营者在平台内的交易、交易价格以及与其他经营者的交易等进行不合理限制或者附加不合理条件。主要包括以下情形：

（一）强制平台内经营者签订排他性协议；

（二）对商品的价格、销售对象、销售区域或者销售时间进行不合理的限制；

（三）不合理设定扣取保证金，削减补贴、优惠和流量资源等限制；

（四）利用服务协议、交易规则对平台内经营者的交易进行其他不合理限制或者附加不合理条件。

第二十五条   平台经营者应当在服务协议、交易规则中公平合理确定收费标准，不得违背商业道德、行业惯例，向平台内经营者收取不合理的服务费用。

第二十六条   判定构成妨碍、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行，可以综合考虑下列因素：

（一）其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务是否无法正常使用；

（二）其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务是否无法正常下载、安装、更新或者卸载；

（三）其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务成本是否不合理增加；

（四）其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务的用户或者访问量是否不合理减少；

（五）用户合法利益是否遭受损失，或者用户体验和满意度是否下降；

（六）行为频次、持续时间；

（七）行为影响的地域范围、时间范围等；

（八）是否利用其他经营者的网络产品或者服务牟取不正当利益。

第三章 监督检查

第二十七条   对网络不正当竞争案件的管辖适用《市场监督管理行政处罚程序规定》。

网络不正当竞争行为举报较为集中，或者引发严重后果或者其他不良影响的，可以由实际经营地、违法结果发生地的设区的市级以上地方市场监督管理部门管辖。

第二十八条   市场监督管理部门应当加强对网络不正当竞争行为的监测，发现违法行为的，依法予以查处。

市场监督管理部门在查办网络不正当竞争案件过程中，被调查的经营者、利害关系人及其他有关单位、个人应当如实提供有关资料或者情况，不得伪造、销毁涉案数据以及相关资料，不得妨害市场监督管理部门依法履行职责，不得拒绝、阻碍调查。

第二十九条   市场监督管理部门基于案件办理的需要，可以委托第三方专业机构对与案件相关的电子证据进行取证、固定，对财务数据进行审计。

第三十条   对于新型、疑难案件，市场监督管理部门可以委派专家观察员参与协助调查。专家观察员可以依据自身专业知识、业务技能、实践经验等，对经营者的竞争行为是否有促进创新、提高效率、保护消费者合法权益等正当理由提出建议。

第三十一条   市场监督管理部门及其工作人员、第三方专业机构、专家观察员等对参与调查过程中知悉的商业秘密负有保密义务。

市场监督管理部门的工作人员滥用职权、玩忽职守、徇私舞弊或者泄露调查过程中知悉的商业秘密的，依法给予处分。

第四章 法律责任

第三十二条   平台经营者违反本规定第六条，未按规定保存信息，或者对平台内经营者侵害消费者合法权益行为未采取必要措施的，由市场监督管理部门依照电子商务法第八十条、第八十三条的规定处罚。

第三十三条   经营者违反本规定第七条的，由市场监督管理部门依照反不正当竞争法第十八条的规定处罚。

第三十四条 经营者违反本规定第八条、第九条的，由市场监督管理部门依照反不正当竞争法第二十条的规定处罚。

第三十五条 经营者违反本规定第十条的，由市场监督管理部门依照反不正当竞争法第十九条的规定处罚。

第三十六条   经营者违反本规定第十一条的，由市场监督管理部门依照反不正当竞争法第二十三条的规定处罚。

第三十七条   经营者违反本规定第十二条至第二十三条，妨害、破坏其他经营者合法提供的网络产品或者服务正常运行的，由市场监督管理部门依照反不正当竞争法第二十四条的规定处罚。

第三十八条   平台经营者违反本规定第二十四条、第二十五条的，由市场监督管理部门依照电子商务法第八十二条的规定处罚。

第三十九条   经营者违反本规定第二十八条的，由市场监督管理部门依照反不正当竞争法第二十八条的规定处罚。

第四十条   法律、行政法规对网络不正当竞争行为的查处另有规定的，依照其规定。

经营者利用网络排除、限制竞争，构成垄断行为的，依照《中华人民共和国反垄断法》处理。

第四十一条   经营者违反本规定，有违法所得的，依照《中华人民共和国行政处罚法》第二十八条的规定，除依法应当退赔的外，应当予以没收。

第四十二条   违反本规定涉嫌构成犯罪，依法需要追究刑事责任的，市场监督管理部门应当按照有关规定及时将案件移送公安机关处理。

第五章   附则

第四十三条   本规定自2024年9月1日起施行。

关于《规定》的解读

为预防和制止网络不正当竞争，维护公平竞争的市场秩序，鼓励创新，保护经营者和消费者的合法权益，促进数字经济规范健康持续发展，市场监管总局近日公布了《网络反不正当竞争暂行规定》（以下简称《规定》），《规定》自2024年9月1日起施行。现将有关情况解读如下。

一、《规定》出台的背景是什么？

党的二十大报告提出，“构建全国统一大市场，深化要素市场化改革，建设高标准市场体系。完善产权保护、市场准入、公平竞争、社会信用等市场经济基础制度，优化营商环境”。加快建设全国统一大市场是党中央、国务院从全局和战略高度作出的重大部署。公平竞争是加快建设全国统一大市场的关键要素和强大动力。反不正当竞争在维护公平竞争中具有基础性作用，关系市场经济的基础水平和质量。一方面，随着我国数字经济高速发展，信息技术创新迭代，仿冒混淆、虚假宣传、商业诋毁等传统不正当竞争行为利用互联网技术花样翻新，反向刷单、非法数据获取等新型网络不正当竞争行为隐蔽性更强，妨碍经济运行效率提升，制约商品和要素自由流动、公平竞争，制约全国统一大市场的形成。对此，亟待强化公平竞争治理，不断完善高效完备、透明可预期的常态化监管机制。另一方面，全球竞争格局加速调整，新一代经贸规则正在形成，制度竞争成为国际竞争重要内容。其他国家和地区对数字经济作出了一系列新的制度安排，反不正当竞争已经成为国际经贸规则重要关注点。对此，亟待加强前瞻性动态研究，促进我国竞争政策与国际规则接轨，改善贸易投资环境，持续深化竞争领域制度型开放。

市场监管总局坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，深入贯彻党的二十大精神，在深入调研论证、充分征求意见、多次修改完善的基础上，制定发布《规定》。《规定》旨在通过健全和明确网络竞争行为“红绿灯”规则，为各类经营主体明晰指引、划清底线，保障市场竞争机制在法治轨道上高效有序运行，引导数字技术更好赋能，引领我国竞争力不断提升。

二、起草制定《规定》遵循的主要原则是什么？

一是坚持鼓励创新。保护企业创新成果，着力促进互联网行业发挥最大创新潜能。二是坚持规范竞争。保障不同规模经营主体之间的公平交易，促进各类企业协同发展，防止竞争失序，着力营造良好市场环境。三是坚持问题导向。从构筑国家竞争新优势的战略高度出发，针对亟待规范的矛盾焦点，着力完善网络不正当竞争行为认定标准及规制要求。四是坚持开放视野。服务高水平对外开放，增强制度供给的前瞻性、针对性、有效性，着力构建与高标准国际规则相衔接的公平竞争制度。

三、《规定》主要内容有哪些？

《规定》共五章、43条，分为总则、网络不正当竞争行为、监督检查、法律责任和附则。主要内容如下。

（一）明确总体要求。《规定》以维护公平竞争的市场秩序、鼓励创新、保护经营者和消费者合法权益、促进数字经济规范健康持续发展为基本目标，创新监管模式，明确协同监管工作机制，统筹各方力量，着力提升综合治理效能。

（二）全面梳理列举网络不正当竞争行为。根据网络竞争行为复杂多变的特点，《规定》对网络不正当竞争行为进行分类提炼梳理，明确认定标准。一是明确了仿冒混淆、虚假宣传等传统不正当竞争行为在网络环境下的新表现形式，对刷单炒信、好评返现等热点问题进行规制，着力消除监管盲区。二是对反不正当竞争法规制的网络不正当竞争行为进行细化，列举了流量劫持、恶意干扰、恶意不兼容的表现形式及认定因素。三是对反向刷单、非法数据获取、歧视待遇等利用技术手段实施的新型不正当竞争行为进行规制。同时设置兜底条款，为可能出现的新问题新行为提供监管依据。

（三）强化平台责任。平台企业掌握海量数据，连接大量主体，既是网络不正当竞争监管的重点对象，也是协同监管的关键节点。《规定》突出强调了平台主体责任，督促平台企业对平台内竞争行为加强规范管理，同时对滥用数据算法获取竞争优势等问题进行规制。

（四）优化执法办案程序规定。针对网络不正当竞争行为辐射面广、跨平台、跨地域等特点，对监督检查程序作出特别规定，根据重大案件的连接点确定管辖权。创设专家观察员制度，为解决网络不正当竞争案件的难点问题提供智力支撑和技术支持。

（五）明确法律责任。发挥市场监管领域法律法规“组合拳”作用，在反不正当竞争法框架下，有效衔接电子商务法、反垄断法、行政处罚法等法律。同时，明确了没收违法所得的法律责任，强化监管效果。

四、针对网络领域新型不正当竞争行为，《规定》提出了哪些举措？

《规定》细化了反不正当竞争法中网络不正当竞争行为的构成要件和认定因素，有利于更为全面地研判所涉行为的非正当性，避免不适当地干预市场自由竞争，导致技术发展和创新受阻。《规定》列举了反向刷单、恶意拦截或者屏蔽、非法数据获取、平台经营者对平台内经营者进行不合理限制或者附加不合理条件等网络不正当竞争行为，明确了法律适用条款。

五、总局对《规定》的下一步落实有何打算？

《规定》是引导各类经营主体有序竞争、创新发展的重要制度保障，自2024年9月1日起施行。下一步，市场监管总局将坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，深入贯彻党的二十大和党的二十届二中全会精神，加大宣传解读力度，努力营造良好舆论氛围，让社会各界、各类经营主体迅速理解和掌握《规定》的主要内容，引导各类主体增强依法合规经营意识，完善合规体系建设，及时调整经营行为。同时，市场监管总局将加大对地方市场监管部门执法工作的指导，及时制定执法指南，提升基层执法人员依法行政水平，不断提升监管的科学性、规范性、协调性、稳定性，做到公正监管、正确执行、服务发展。