文/彭明致律师， 广东广大律师事务所

      随着互联网和高新技术的发展，电子证据越来越广泛地出现在民事诉讼和仲裁中。但是，现行法律法规对电子证据虽有规定但不够完善，电子证据如何取证才能成为认定案件事实的根据，是企业进行民事诉讼和仲裁面临的一个至关重要的问题。

一个案件引发的思考
      随本案是发生在中国的一个网络著作权侵权纠纷所引发的诉讼。
      随甲公司开发了一款收费网络游戏A并在甲公司的网站上运营，三个月后，甲公司发现乙公司的收费网络游戏B与网络游戏A的场景、人物、物品、操作模式大部分相同。另外，甲公司员工在与乙公司财务人员QQ聊天中得知，乙公司授权丙公司运营网络游戏B并收取20万许可费及每月分成。甲公司通过黑客技术进入乙公司内部系统并获取乙公司每月运营网络游戏B的财务报告以及丙公司每月分成给乙公司的电子账单。甲公司遂以乙公司侵犯著作权为由诉诸法院，要求停止侵权、公开赔礼道歉以及赔偿经济损失50万。
      随在本案中，甲公司如何证明其享有网络游戏A的著作权？甲公司如何证明乙公司的网络游戏B侵权？QQ聊天记录能否作为证据？甲公司能否进入乙公司系统获取有关证据？从上述一系列问题可见，甲公司能否胜诉取决于其能否取证到关键的电子证据。

我国涉及电子证据的主要法律规定与法律定位
      随目前，我国涉及电子证据的专门立法有《中华人民共和国电子签名法》，此外在《最高人民法院关于审理涉及计算机网络著作权纠纷案件适用法律若干问题的解释》（以下称“《解释》”）、《最高人民法院关于民事诉讼证据的若干规定》（以下称“《规定》”）等法律法规中各有涉及。我国法律法规对电子证据并无定义，本文探讨的电子证据是指计算机证据，即在计算机系统或者网络系统运行过程中产生的、以数字形式保存在计算机存储器或外部存储介质中、能够证明案件真实情况的电子数据或信息，其表现为电子邮件、电子公告板、电子文档、电子签名、电子聊天记录、网页、网络视频、数据库等多种形式。
在司法实践中法院采纳合法的电子证据作为定案的根据已无争议，但是，我国现行法律并未将电子证据列为独立的证据总类，而是同时定位为视听资料和书证，由此导致了对电子证据的认定标准不统一。按照《规定》第二十二条（调查人员调查收集计算机数据或者录音、录像等视听资料的，应当要求被调查人提供有关资料的原始载体）、《最高人民法院关于行政诉讼证据若干问题的规定》第十二条（当事人向人民法院提供计算机或者录音、录像等视听资料）的规定，电子证据是视听资料。但是，《中华人民共和国合同法》第十一条（书面形式是指合同书、信件和数据电文（包括电报、传真、电子数据交换和电子邮件）等可以有形表现所载内容的形式）又将电子证据规定为书证。根据《中华人民共和国民事诉讼法》和《规定》，视听资料必须有其他证据佐证才能作为认定案件事实的依据，而书证则可以单独作为认定案件事实的证据。
虽然当事人提交证据时可以列明证据种类，但是，最后是由人民法院对电子证据的种类进行认定，因此，为保证电子证据被法院采纳作为定案的依据，在电子证据取证时要注意收集其他相互印证的证据。

      随通过保全公证对电子证据取证要注意哪些问题？
      随根据我国民事诉讼法的规定，除有相反证据足以推翻公证证明以外，经过法定程序公证证明的法律行为、法律事实和文书，人民法院应当作为认定事实的根据。有鉴于此，对电子证据进行公证保全是电子证据取证的最佳方法，在电子证据保全公证中以下问题尤其值得关注：
（一）慎重选择保全证据的公证机构。根据《中华人民共和国公证法》和《公证程序规则》规定，法人或其他组织申请办理公证，可以向住所地、经常居住地、法律行为或事实发生地的公证机构提出，另外，公证机构在省、自治区、直辖市司法行政机关核定的执业区域内受理公证业务。司法实践中，法律行为或事实发生地和住所地、经常居住地经常并不一致，例如，根据《解释》规定网络著作权侵权纠纷案件的侵权行为地包括实施被诉侵权行为的网络服务器、计算机终端等设备所在地。因此，在申请证据保全公证之前，要查明拟进行证据保全的事项哪些公证机构可以办理，并综合考虑哪些法院可以管辖该案后作出选择，以便在诉讼中确定管辖连接点、调取有关公证材料、降低成本。
（二）尽量在公证机构进行电子证据保全公证。虽然法律法规规定，公证员可外出办理证据保全公证，但是，由于从技术上来讲，申请人有可能对其所控制的非公证处的计算机进行技术处理而使有关电子证据不留痕迹地被修改，例如，技术人员可以修改设置使某台计算机与其制作的特定IP地址相链接而使公证员看到不真实的网页，因此，这类在公证机构以外操作的电子证据保全在诉讼和仲裁中常常受到质疑。
（三）电子证据保全公证的内容应当体现主体、内容、时间，特别要注意连贯性，避免中间停顿或跳进。主体的信息主要表现在经营性网站备案信息、网站的ICP/IP地址/域名信息备案情况、邮箱的收件人和发件人的邮箱地址和名称、网站简介、网站联系方式。内容的保全应当对涉案内容进行逐页打印、全文保全，对涉案视频的音、像同时保全，特别注意在网站侵权、网络游戏侵权案件中，要同时保全两个网站的涉案内容作比较，并通过第三方网站的报道、数据存储等其他信息来证明在先的权利。时间信息的保存要注意服务器记录的网络时间，以便更准确定义电子证据的时间。

还有哪些方式可以对电子证据取证？
      随除保全公证外，可以通过其他中立第三方（网络服务提供商、电子数据交换机构、经认证的电子证据鉴定机构、案外第三人）收集电子证据。其中，向网络服务提供商、电子数据交换机构取证根据证据的具体内容有不同的规定，例如，《解释》规定，当著作权人“确有证据”证明被侵权时，网络服务提供商有义务向权利人提供侵权行为人在网络上的注册资料；但是《互联网电子邮件服务管理办法》规定只有在公安机关或者监察机关因国家安全或者追查刑事犯罪的需要才能依法对电子邮件进行检查。经认证的电子证据鉴定机构，则在进入诉讼程序以后经法院委托或者双方当事人同意后才能对有关电子证据进行取证、鉴定或修复。在对电子邮件取证时，如果电子邮件发送或者抄送给案外第三人，可以经案外第三人同意后对该证据进行取证。

电子证据取证时要排除那些方法？
      随我国法律规定，以侵害他人合法权益或者违反法律禁止性规定的方法取得的证据，不能作为认定案件事实的依据。在司法实践中，非法收集电子证据的常见形式有：通过窃取他人的用户名、密码或者未经同意侵入他人系统收集；通过非法软件收集；通过非经审批的第三方机构收集；通过非法搜查、扣押等方式收集。因此，在收集电子证据的过程中，对涉及商业秘密、个人隐私或者确因客观原因不能自行收集等情况，应当依法申请人民法院调查取证，而不能违反法律规定收集。

      随综上所述，在民事诉讼和仲裁中要注意电子证据取证的方式和技巧，才能为取得诉讼的胜利增加筹码。

How to Collect Electronic Evidence in Civil Litigation and Arbitration?
Christina Peng, Guangdong Guangda Law Firm

      随With the development of internet and high technology, electronic evidence is adopted in civil litigation and arbitration more and more extensively. Present laws and regulations have defined electronic evidence regardless of inadequacy, thereby how to collect electronic evidence to make it the basis for ascertainment of facts is what the companies should think about.

QUESTIONS INITIATED FROM A LAWSUIT

      It’s a lawsuit caused by an internet copy right infringement dispute in China. Company A invented an online game M and charged the game-players for it. Three months later, Company A found that company B ran an online game N with which the scene, character, goods and game rules are similar to online game M. Staff of company A learned from an accountant of company B via OICQ, a chatting software, that company B had authorized company C to run online game N while taking the license fee of RMB 200,000 and monthly benefit sharing. Company A invaded into company B’s interior system by hacker technology and obtained the financial data. Company A brought out a lawsuit against company B and claimed for ceasing the infringing act, expressing a formal apology and compensation of RMB 500,000.

      In this case, how did company A testify its copy right? How did company A prove the infringement of company B? Could the OICQ record be used as evidence? Was it legal for company A to invade into company B’s interior system? Obviously, company A’s chance of winning this lawsuit depends on the electronic evidences.

LAWS AND LEGAL ORIENTATION OF ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE

      At present, “Law of People’s Republic of China on Electronic Signature” is the specific legislation of electronic evidence, and some other laws involve this issue as well ,such as “Interpretations of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Cases Involving Copyright Disputes over Computer Network” (hereafter referred as” the INTERPRETATIONS”), “Some Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on Evidence in Civil Procedures” (hereafter referred as ”the PROVISIONS ”), etc. There is no definition of the electronic evidence provided by laws, and the electronic evidence discussing here is computer evidence, which is generated in the operating process of computer or network system, stored as digital format in the computer memory or external storage medium, and testifying the facts by its digital data or information. It is manifested as E-mail, electronic bulletin board, electronic document, electronic signature, electronic chatting record, web-page, web-video, database, etc.

      There is no argument on adopting the electronic evidence as the basis for ascertainment of facts. However, the existing laws haven’t induced electronic evidence as an independent evidence classification, but conclude it as audio-visual material and documentary evidence at the same time, which consequently induces different judging standards of it. According to Article 22 of the PROVISIONS (The investigators who investigate upon and collect computer data or audio-visual materials such as sound recordings and visual recordings, etc. shall request the person investigated to provide the original carrier of the relevant data.) and Article 12 of “Some Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on Evidence in Administrative Procedures” (The client provide computer data or audio-visual materials such as sound recordings and visual recordings, etc. to the court), electronic evidence is defined as audio-visual material, while Article 11 of “Contract Law of People’s Republic of China” (Written form" refers to a form such as a written contractual agreement, letter, electronic data text(including a telegram, telex, fax, electronic data exchange and e-mail)that can tangibly express the contents contained therein) identified electronic evidence as documentary evidence. Basing on the “Civil Procedure Law of People’s Republic of China”, audio-visual materials can not be taken to ascertain facts alone unless with other supported evidence, while documentary evidence can be accepted to ascertain facts independently.

      Although the client can identify the evidence classification when providing electronic evidence to the people’s court, but the people’s court make final decision of the evidence classification of every evidence. Hence, in order to guarantee the electronic evidence is taken to ascertain facts, the clients should pay attention to collect other supported evidence.

WHAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN COLLECTING ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE BY NOTARIZATION?

      In accordance with Chinese civil procedure laws, except when there is contrary evidence that is sufficient to invalidate the notarization, the people’s court shall admit the legal acts, legal facts and documents that are notarized according to legal procedures as a basis for finding facts. So that notarization is the best way to collect electronic evidence. Please pay attention to the following issues:

(I) Choose the right notary office. According to the “Notarization Law of People’s Republic of China” and “Notary Procedure Regulation”, corporation or other entities can apply for notarization to notary offices in domicile, habitual residence, or places that legal facts or acts occurred. Moreover, the notary offices offer notary services in the region licensed by the judicial and administrative department of provinces, municipality, or autonomous region. In judicial practice, domicile, habitual residence, and places that legal facts or acts occurred are usually not the same. For example, according to the INTERPRETATIONS, in copyright disputes over computer network, the place where an infringing act is committed includes the places where the network server and computer terminal locate. Therefore, In order to fix the jurisdictional junction, be convenient to obtain the notary documents and reduce costs, do find out which notary offices are entitled to accept it, and consider the jurisdictional area.
(II) Carry out the notarization in notary office. Even though the notary is allowed to go out for the notarization, but technically speaking, it is possible for the applicant to amend the computers outside the notary office without a trace. For example, technician can transfer the link to a specific IP by modifying the computer settings. That’s why notarization of electronic evidence outside notary office is usually challenged in trial.
(III) The notarization should include main body, content and time of infringement. Information of main body can be found in ICP/IP/domain name record, the addresser and recipient’s E-mail address, and introduction and contact way of the website. All the content involving the dispute should be conserved page by page, and audio and visual materials should be preserved together. Especially in website and online game infringement cases, make sure both the legal website and illegal website are preserved, so that comparisons can be made in court trial.  Data stored in the third-party website is useful for testifying the prior rights as well. Furthermore, pay attention to the internet time recorded by the web-server which can clearly indentify the time of infringement.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER WAYS TO COLLECT ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE?

      Besides notarization, electronic evidence can be collected from the neutral third party (internet service provider, electronic data exchange organization, licensed identification organization, and the innocent third party). There are different rules for collecting electronic evidence from ICP and electronic data exchange organization. For instance, under the INTERPRETATIONS, the ICP is responsible to provide registered information of the infringer when the copyright owners authentically testify the infringement. At the same time, “Regulation on Service and Administration of E-mails” prescribes that only the police and supervisory organization have the right to inspect E-mails in the condition of protecting national security or investigating criminal offences. Collecting, identifying or recovering electronic evidence from or by licensed identification organization should be authorized by the people’s court or both the parties in the process of litigation or arbitration.

WHAT SHOULD BE AVOIDED WHEN COLLECTING ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE?

      In accordance with Chinese Laws, evidence collected via violating lawful rights or breaching of forbidden laws can not be adopted as ascertainment of facts. In judicial practice, the ways of illegally collecting electronic evidence include: appropriating the user name and password or intruding into the computer network system; collecting by unlawful software; collecting by unauthorized organization; collecting by illegal search or detaining. Thereby, there is no other choices but to apply for evidence investigation to the people’s court once the electronic evidence can not be collected without the authority or may relate to business secrete or privacy in the process of collecting electronic evidence.

      In a word, there will be more chances of winning the litigation and arbitration if we pay attention to the methods and techniques of collecting electronic evidence.

彭明致，广东广大律师事务所律师，主要执业领域为互联网与高新技术、信息通信、外商企业投资的法律事务，工作范围包括电子商务策略设计、技术合同拟定和审查、知识产权保护、企业并购和资产处置等。彭律师尤其擅长处理涉及著作权、商标权、技术合同、买卖合同纠纷的诉讼、仲裁。电子邮箱：mzpeng@gdlawyer.com

Christina Peng is an attorney at law in Guangdong Guangda Law Firm. Ms. Peng’s practice is dedicated solely to providing comprehensive legal services in the internet & high technology, information communication and foreign investment industries. She focuses on designing strategy for electronic commerce, drafting and reviewing technical contracts, protecting IP, and dealing with M&A and assets disposition affairs. Ms. Peng is especially good at dealing with litigation and arbitration concerning copyright, trademark right, technical contracts and sales contracts disputes. Ms. Peng can be contacted at mzpeng@gdlawyer.com.