European Union – Patent. The Court of Justice of the European Union made a preliminary ruling concerning the interpretation of arts 1 and 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1610/96 of the European Parliament and of the Council (concerning the creation of a supplementary protection certificate for plant protection products). The request had been made in proceedings between Bayer CropScience AG (Bayer) and the German Patent and Trade Mark Office concerning the validity of a decision by which that office had refused to grant a supplementary protection certificate to Bayer in respect of a safener, Isoxadifen, and the salts and esters thereof.