Trading places

The rapid rise of the online marketplace has created a secondary market for selling virtual stores on Taobao.com. Xu Lin discovers it is a legal gray area.

China's leading online marketplace Taobao.com will set out virtual property rights regulations allowing online stores to be inherited if the owner dies, and directing what to do when owners divorce. The new rules and an online application platform are expected to be rolled out within the next couple of months.

Though owners will not be able to sell, rent, or hand over their stores to third parties, according to the regulations, transferring store ownership is a growing trend.