On 12 January 2007, the Supreme People's Court promulgated its interpretation on selected issues relating to the application of the law in civil trials of unfair competition cases (the Interpretation), effective as of 1 February 2007. The Interpretation provides guidance on how to conduct trials of civil cases involving unfair competition, protect the legal interests and rights of business operators and maintain orderly market competition. See http://www.freshfields.com/publications/pdfs/2007/mar28/18130.pdf for an analysis of the impact of the Interpretation.