Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev Approves Legalisation on Parallel Imports

The Laboratory celebrates victory: our researchers have long and consistently advocated for the abolition of the ban on parallel imports.

Dmitry Medvedev has approved the legalisation of parallel imports for several categories of product.  The Interfax statement from May 5th refers to the source familiar with the minutes of the closed meeting with the Prime Minister, which took place in the second half of April.

In particular, the document contains a decision "to consider an appropriate phased transition to an international exhaustion principle for the trademark rights of individual product groups". The FAS and the Ministry for Economic Development mandated the Eurasian Economic Commission to hold consultations on the topic on July 16, for the issue of this legalisation, in the interests of consumers and investors in the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union. And in the period up to May 22nd, the FAS and the Ministry of Economic Development, together with the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Health, the Customs Commission and other agencies shall develop proposals for the specific product groups that can be part of the pilot program for the application of the principle of an international exhaustion regimen.

 

Earlier it was reported that at the meeting on April 22nd, Prime Minister Medvedev said that the legalisation of parallel imports to Russia could become an anti-crisis measure. "The products can be purchased in third-party countries where it is cheaper to import them into our territory without the direct prerogatives of the producers and the rights' holders. Naturally, this can nudge the prices of imports downward", said the Prime Minister as reported in the media.