From the perspective of ‘Archangelos Gabriel’ salvage case, this article probes into the application of party autonomy by Chinese courts in cases with foreign elements. The case, finally decided by the SPC, shows many judicial innovations and draw great concerns in both the Chinese judicial community and academia. However, it also shows a common judicial phenomenon that the improper timing of choice by parties and wrong choice-of-law rule invoked by the courts lead to the uncertainty of the applicable law and the judges could not deal with the implied choice cases properly. This gives rise to an urgent choice-of-law problem that the principle of party autonomy just empowers parties to choose the state of applicable law but not a particular law of a state. It is inconsistent with the nature of party autonomy and may further turn the party autonomy to a rule with the same nature of “choice of jurisdiction.”

The judicial protection of IP is the most important and fundamental guarantee for the protection of IP in China. The judicial protection system of IP in China has experienced the development procedure of setting up a special pilot tribunal, "three-hearing-in-one" and a special court. The establishment and operation of IP courts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou marks the establishment of the new hearing system for IP dispute in China. The founding and operation of IP courts have an in-depth background. With the rapid development of the economy in China, especially since the entrance of the WTO, there have been more IP cases and they constitute huge challenges for adjudication of IP disputes in China. In this regard, the IP courts is a good way to cope with. The establishment of IP courts will undoubtedly has deeper influence and significance in the judicial