Volume II

Issue : 1: January 8, 2004

• Canadian Doctors May Lose Insurance Coverage for Lawsuits Related to Internet Drug Sales
• China Issues Internet Publishing Licenses for the First Time
• Draft Regulations to Ontario
• U.S. Court of Appeals Overturns Rulings of District Court in File Sharing Cases
• European Court Allows Ban on Sale of Prescription Drugs over the Internet
• Ontario Introduces Health Information Protection Act
• Blending Barbie: U.S. Copyright, Trademark and Trade Dress Law and the Net
• Nova Scotia Introduces New Regulations to Protect Online Shoppers

Home > Volume II > Issue 1: January 8, 2004 > European Court Allows Ban on Sale of Prescription Drugs over the Internet

European Court Allows Ban on Sale of Prescription Drugs over the Internet

On December 11, 2003, Europe's top court delivered a judgment allowing countries of the European Union to ban the sale of prescription drugs over the Internet because such sales could increase the risk of those drugs being abused, misused or used incorrectly. The court, however, ruled that members of the European Union could not ban the sale of over-the-counter drugs, because such ban would violate European Union rules on the free movement of goods. The case involved a dispute between German pharmacists, Deutscher Apothekerverband eV and Jaques Waterval, a Dutch pharmacist who was selling prescription drugs from his store in Landgraaf to patients in Germany through his website at www.0800DocMorris.com. Ironically, to Waterval's advantage, Germany's ban on Internet sales of prescription drugs expired January 1, 2004.

For a copy of the decision, visit:
http://shorl.com/diprutyprydega
For more information, visit:
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/7468904.htm