62020CJ0253_SUM
Joined Cases C‑253/20 and C‑254/20
Impexeco NVandPI Pharma NV
v
Novartis AGandNovartis Pharma NV
(Requests for a preliminary ruling from the Hof van beroep te Brussel)
Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 17 November 2022
(References for a preliminary ruling – Articles 34 and 36 TFEU – Free movement of goods – Intellectual property – Trade marks – Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 – Article 9(2) – Article 13 – Directive 2008/95 – Article 5(1) – Article 7 – Rights conferred by a trade mark – Exhaustion of the rights conferred by a trade mark – Parallel imports of medicinal products – Reference medicinal product and generic medicinal product – Economically linked undertakings – Repackaging of the generic medicinal product – New outer packaging – Affixing the trade mark of the reference medicinal product – Opposition by the proprietor of the trade mark – Artificial partitioning of the markets between the Member States)
EU trade mark – Effects of the EU trade mark – Exhaustion of the rights conferred by a trade mark – Parallel import of medicinal products after repackaging and reaffixing of the trade mark – Opposition of the proprietor – Not permissible – Conditions – Artificial partitioning of the markets between the Member States – Necessary repackaging of the medicinal product – Criteria for assessment
(Arts 34 and 36 TFEU; Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 13(2); European Parliament and Council Directive 2008/95, Art. 7(2))
(see paragraphs 50-56)
EU trade mark – Effects of the EU trade mark – Exhaustion of the rights conferred by a trade mark – Parallel import of medicinal products after repackaging and reaffixing of the trade mark – Marketing, by the proprietor, of an identical medicinal product in several Member States under different trade marks – Opposition of the proprietor – Not permissible – Conditions
(Arts 34 and 36 TFEU; Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 13(2); European Parliament and Council Directive 2008/95, Art. 7(2))
(see paragraphs 57, 69-73)
EU trade mark – Effects of the EU trade mark – Exhaustion of the rights conferred by a trade mark – Parallel import of medicinal products after repackaging and reaffixing of the trade mark – Marketing, by the proprietor, of an identical medicinal product in several Member States under different trade marks – Identical medicinal product – Meaning
(Arts 34 and 36 TFEU; Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 13(2); European Parliament and Council Directive 2008/95, Art. 7(2))
(see paragraphs 58, 63-67)
EU trade mark – Effects of the EU trade mark – Exhaustion of the rights conferred by a trade mark – Parallel import of a generic medicinal product after repackaging and reaffixing of the trade mark – Affixing the trade mark of the reference medicinal product – Opposition by the proprietor of the trade mark of the reference medicinal product and the generic medicinal product – Whether permissible – Conditions
(Arts 34 and 36 TFEU; Council Regulation No 207/2009, Arts 9(2) and 13(2); European Parliament and Council Directive 2008/95, Arts 5(2) and 7)
(see paragraph 74, operative part)
See the text of the decision.