Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 12 February 2009 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Augstākās tiesas Senāta (Republic of Latvia)) — Schenker SIA v Valsts ieņēmumu dienests

(Case C-93/08) (1)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Regulation (EC) No 1383/2003 - Article 11 - Simplified procedure of abandoning goods for destruction - Prior determination whether an intellectual property right has been infringed - Administrative penalty)

(2009/C 82/12)

Language of the case: Latvian

Referring court

Augstākās tiesas Senāts

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Schenker SIA

Defendant: Valsts ieņēmumu dienests

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — Augstākās tiesas Senāts — Interpretation of Article 11 of Council Regulation No 1383/2003 of 22 July 2003 concerning customs action against goods suspected of infringing certain intellectual property rights and the measures to be taken against goods found to have infringed such rights (OJ 2003 L 196, p. 7) — Simplified procedure of abandoning goods for destruction without first determining whether there has been an infringement of an intellectual property right under law — National legislation providing that an administrative penalty be imposed where the goods declared infringe an intellectual property right

Operative part of the judgment

The initiation, with the agreement of an intellectual property right-holder and of the importer, of the simplified procedure laid down in Article 11 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1383/2003 of 22 July 2003 concerning customs action against goods suspected of infringing certain intellectual property rights and the measures to be taken against goods found to have infringed such rights, does not deprive the competent national authorities of the power to impose, on the parties responsible for importing those goods into the Community customs territory, a ‘penalty’, within the meaning of Article 18 of that regulation, such as an administrative fine.

(1)  OJ C 128, 24.5.2008.