Parallel import could be made permanent but not for all goods, criteria being discussed - Reshetnikov
MOSCOW. Jan 28 (Interfax) - The Russian government will draw up the criteria to define which categories of goods can be subject to parallel import if it becomes a permanent mechanism, Russian Economy Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said.
He said that one of these criteria would be if the rights holder did not conduct any business operations in Russia.
Currently, the list of goods to which parallel import can be applied is approved by the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry, the main principle of this being the refusal of the rights holder to work in Russia and the absence of an equivalent product on the domestic market. Applying international exhaustion of rights in a targeted manner, allowing for products to be imported without the consent of the rights holder after sales are launched in any other country of the world, was introduced as an anti-sanctions measures in Russia in 2022 and has been extended every year since then.
Reshetnikov told journalists that discussions were now centered on "converting the existing model (when the Industry and Trade Ministry determines the list of goods subject to parallel import) into a permanent one". "This means that parallel import will, as before, be applied selectively and to a restricted and manageable range of goods. The criteria for defining these goods categories will be drawn up separately with the federal executive authorities concerned. One of the criteria for the mechanism to be applied could be the absence of economic activity on the territory of Russia," the minister said.
The government reported the Economy Development Ministry's proposal to change parallel import from a temporary measure into a permanent one. The issue was raised during a strategic session in the Cabinet of Ministers on the development of the intellectual property sphere between now and 2036.
"We fundamentally believe that we will need this mechanism in the future, but this is not a move towards the international exhaustion of rights in general - it is the maintenance of the rules that we have now for certain groups of goods, the production of which is not economically viable and has no prospects in the country, let's say. Leaving the parallel import mechanism as it is, so that there are no mono-importers, monopoly importers, and the prices of one product do not end up being higher in our country than in neighboring countries," Reshetnikov told journalists, explaining the Economy Development Ministry's stance.
"Where we don't have competition for whatever reason, that is where this system will be needed, in order to avoid these artificial barriers,' he said.
The Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) is also in favor of applying the international exhaustion of rights as a permanent measure. The Industry and Trade Ministry, however, said that the mechanism should be kept as a temporary measure while the products which left the Russian market are still being replaced. As import substitution progresses, the ministry regularly reviews the list of goods subject to parallel import and removes brands and goods categories which have been replaced by domestic producers or suppliers from friendly countries. As a result, parallel imports have been decreasing over the last few years. In the first ten months of 2025, they decreased 45% year-on-year to $20.9 billion.
Reshetnikov said that the Economy Development Ministry was discussing the conditions for applying parallel import on a permanent basis with the Industry and Trade Ministry.
