Abstract
The article will address the authority of the European Union (hereinafter, EU) to detain goods at its borders that infringe, or are suspected of infringing, intellectual property rights (hereinafter, IPRs), in part through a comparison of similar regulations in the United States (hereinafter, US), and especially with respect to the detainment of digital goods. On 10 November 2015, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit released its Opinion in ClearCorrect Operating, LLC v. United States International Trade Commission, a case that, in part, examines the definition of ‘article’ under section 337 of the US Tariff Act of 1930. In the EU, Regulation (EU) No. 608/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 concerning customs enforcement of intellectual property rights and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No. 1383/2003 entered into effect in 2014. This regulation expanded the scope of competent authorities in EU Member States to detain suspected infringing goods at the EU’s borders, including new powers to detain and destroy ‘small consignments’ of such goods absent a formal decision confirming an infringement of an intellectual property design right. EU courts have yet to address the issue of whether digital data transmitted electronically applies to such legislation. The article will provide a review of the recent Opinion of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as an analysis of the relevant EU framework.
Published Version
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