(Yicai Global) Aug. 21 -- Hangzhou Internet Court, China's first online courthouse, opened its digital doors on Aug. 18 to hear its maiden case, state-owned news agency Xinhua reported.

The court, which will be run online, will specialize in handling internet-related cases within the eastern city's jurisdiction. It anticipates to deal with issues involving online shopping, micro-financing, copyright infringement, personal rights, domain names and internet administration. Its first case covered a digital copyright infringement.

Hangzhou Internet Court's online platform encompasses the complete lawsuit process, with plaintiffs and defendants able to submit evidence and take the stand without leaving their home. Both parties and the judge will communicate via a video conference and the ruling will be announced online. Big Data, artificial intelligence and other technologies are all used in the process.

Hangzhou, dubbed the capital of Chinese e-commerce, has seen its digital economy grow to contribute more than 50 percent to the city's gross regional product. It's also home to internet giants Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. [NYSE: BABA], Netease Inc. [NASDAQ: NYES], Hikvision Digital Technology Co. [SHE:002415] and other leading online firms.