Russia has found a way of dodging western sanctions by allowing "gray" import of products. This will allow the Russians to import goods regardless of whether or not they have the permission from the copyright holders to do so. The list of products that can be imported include more than 50 product groups from about 200 brands.
The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade worked on creating the list itself. The list includes smartphones, computers, TVs, tech accessories, cars and their spare parts as well. Also known as parallel imports, goods can be imported into the country without any consent from the rights holder in the gray import method. Such imports have a very high chance of success in a country like Russia, to prevent a shortage of goods from foreign manufacturers.
Unsurprisingly, parallel imports has existed in Russia for many years in a semi-legal field with little to no government regulations. Many companies have tried to fight parallel imports. For example, Samsung and LG block the main functions of their smart TVs that are imported in Russia. Samsung has also officially stopped importing in Russia while also shutting down its TV manufacturing plant near Kaluga.
After the economic and technological sanctions by the west, the Russian government itself is promoting the act of gray imports. The list made by the Ministry of Industry and Trade includes products from popular brands like Apple, Asus, Samsung , Nokia , Sony, Siemens, HP, Huawei, Lenovo, Intel, Panasonic, and more. It also includes high-quality foreign household appliances from Electrolux, Miele, and Dyson. Russians will also be able to play video games on imported devices from companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.
A big part of the list also is occupied by cars since almost all auto giants have stopped shipping and manufacturing cars and even their spare parts in the country. The Kremlin is allowing gray imports of cars from Bentley, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Freightliner, GMC, Jaguar, Jeep, Hummer, Kenworth, Land Rover, Mack, Peterbilt, Rover, Skoda, Tesla, and Toyota among others.
Not just cars, but Russians will also be able ride on tires made by Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear and Michelin brands with the help of gray imports.
Source: cnews (via Tom"s Hardware)