Lloyd's Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly
BOOK REVIEW - PARALLEL IMPORTS
PARALLEL IMPORTS by Simon Horner, LL.B., LL.M. Collins Professional Books, London (1987, xvii and 180 pp., plus 2 pp. Index). Hardback £25.
Parallel importing seems likely to increase substantially with the approach of 1992. There is a dearth, however, of legal and economic analysis of the topic. Manufacturers, importers, exporters and their advisers, as well as academic lawyers and their students, will therefore welcome this generally sound introductory guide.
The author’s aim in this short book is to explain and analyse the current law on parallel imports. His approach is ambitious, and particularly laudable, in two important respects. First, it draws together information, arguments and results from both law and economics. Secondly, it analyses both United Kingdom and European Community law. These two features should increase the book’s appeal and utility to a potentially wide readership.
The book comprises seven chapters. Chapter 1, “Introduction”, sketches the reasons for parallel importing, the advantages and disadvantages of parallel imports, the institutions and legal framework of the European Community, the basic legal interests of parallel importers and manufacturers and the fields of applicable law. Chapters 2 and 3 concern United King-
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