Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Case C‑147/20

Novartis Pharma GmbH

v

Abacus Medicine A/S

(Request for a preliminary ruling from the Landgericht Hamburg)

Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 17 November 2022

(Reference for a preliminary ruling – Intellectual property – EU trade mark – Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 – Article 9(2) – Rights conferred by a mark – Article 15 – Exhaustion of the rights conferred by a trade mark – Parallel import of medicinal products – Repackaging of the product bearing the mark – New outer packaging – Opposition by the proprietor of the mark – Artificial partitioning of the markets between Member States – Medicinal products for human use – Directive 2001/83/EC – Article 47a – Safety features – Replacement – Equivalent features – Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/161 – Article 3(2) – Anti-tampering device – Unique identifier)

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

   (Art. 36 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 15(1) and (2))

   (see paragraphs 49-54)
2. EU trade mark – Effects of the EU trade mark – Parallel import of medicinal products after repackaging and reaffixing of the trade mark – Repackaging in new packaging and relabelling – Visible traces of opening on the original packaging after replacement of the anti-tampering device – New device that can be considered equivalent – Conditions

   (Commission Regulation 2016/161, Arts 34(4) and 35(4); European Parliament and Council Directives 2001/83, Art. 47a(1), and 2011/62)

   (see paragraphs 61, 62, 65-68)
3. EU trade mark – Effects of the EU trade mark – Exhaustion of the rights conferred by a trade mark – Opposition of the proprietor – Not permissible – Conditions

   (Arts 34 and 36 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 9(2) and 15; European Parliament and Council Directive 2001/83, Art. 47a(1))

   (see paragraphs 69-74, operative part 1)
4. Approximation of laws – Medicinal products for human use – Directive 2001/83 – Parallel import of medicinal products after repackaging and reaffixing of the trade mark – Delegated Regulation 2016/161 – Repackaging of a medicinal product by replacing the safety features with equivalent features enabling the verification of authenticity – Affixing on the outer packaging of an adhesive label bearing a unique identifier – Whether permissible – Conditions

   (Commission Regulation 2016/161, Arts 3(2)(a) and 5(3); European Parliament and Council Directive 2001/83)

   (see paragraphs 79, 81, 82, 84-90, operative part 2)

[See the text of the decision.](https://curia.europa.eu/juris/documents.jsf?num=C-147/20)

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