Unfair competition disputes relating to Lost in Thailand heard in Beijing High Court

On 8 January 2014, Lifang partners Xie Guanbin and Zhang Bin and associate Zhang Lei represented the side of Lost in Thailand before Beijing High People’s Court in the hearing of an unfair competition suit brought against it. The hearing took a whole day wherein both sides examined and explained evidence provided by each party and engaged in heated debates on factual and legal issues.

Lost in Thailand, directed and starred by comic star Xu Zheng, was China's biggest box-office hit when it was released in December 2012. In March 2013, Wuhan Huaqi Media, the production company for Lost on Journey, a 2010 movie also starred by Xu initiated a lawsuit claiming that the production and release of Lost in Thailand involves unfair competition by exploiting the success of Lost on Journey without its producer’s authorization.

The hearing was covered in news stories on CCTV, Beijing TV, China National Radio, as well as printed and internet media of Beijing Youth Daily, Beijing Morning Post, Beijing Evening News, Legal Evening News, Beijing Times, Xinhua net, Sina, Ifeng, Netease and Tencent. Court decision on the case will inevitably have profound significance in the movie and entertainment industry and become a benchmark in future judicial practise.