Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Joined Cases C‑253/20 and C‑254/20

Impexeco NV  
and  
PI Pharma NV

v

Novartis AG  
and  
Novartis 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)

1. 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)
2. 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)
3. 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)
4. 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.](https://curia.europa.eu/juris/documents.jsf?num=C-253/20)

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