By Dennis S. Prahl, Esq.[1]

Trademark wars are most often waged against third parties in the field of opposition, cancellation, infringement, unfair competition or passing off proceedings. However, in the case of gray marketers and parallel importers, trademark owners lament that "we have met the enemy, and they are ours.” Such is the plight of parallel imports, also known as "reimports" and "gray market goods", chiefly by their opponents, presumably to insinuate some association with "black market" goods. [2] Even though parallel importers are usually third parties unrelated to the trademark owner, the source of parallel imports is customarily the trademark owner or those within his control.