Russian Anti-Trust Watchdog Proposes Legalizing Parallel Import

The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has proposed legalizing parallel imports, which are non-counterfeit products imported from another country without the permission of the intellectual property owner, with the exception of companies that have localized production in Russia, said FAS head Igor Artemyev. He said they propose a system that will protect investment from depreciation and help maintain a positive investment climate. "Russian businesspeople must be able to import legal commodities from any country," Artemyev said at a roundtable discussion on the protection of competition and intellectual property, held during the 3rd St. Petersburg International Legal Forum. "With all due respect for the rights holder, we must think above all about consumers," Artemyev said.

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