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What damages were recoverable from a claimant under a cross-undertaking given in support of an injunction?

Our client had obtained a parallel import product licence from the regulator, permitting it to import a pharmaceutical product from a  European Union member state and sell it in the United Kingdom. The claimant obtained an injunction against our client, fortified by a cross-undertaking in damages, which prevented the client from operating the licence – and therefore from importing and selling the product in question – until a final decision as to the validity of the licence.

The High Court referred the case to the European Court of Justice. The parties and a number of governments made submissions. The effect of the ECJ’s judgment was that the regulatory licence had been properly granted.

The question which subsequently arose was what damages were payable under the cross-undertaking. The court held that the licence-holder could not recover the profits which might have been earned by a group company during the period of the injunction, but could recover reasonable royalties which it would have charged the group company in the absence of the injunction.

For the judgment of the European Court of Justice and the subsequent judgment of the Patents Court, and for academic and practice commentary please visit our Judgments and Media page.