Parallel imports from non-EEA member states: the vision remains unclear

The recent decisions of the Court of Justice in Silhouette and Sebago have purportedly clarified the right of the trade mark owner to object to parallel imports of goods originating from non-EEA member states. Leaving aside the policy issues, this article considers how readily the rules are likely to be accepted by UK courts and their relevance to other forms of intellectual property suggests further Community legislation may be needed to establish a coherent regime on international exhaustion of rights.