European Union – Patents. The Court of Justice of the European Union gave a preliminary ruling concerning the conditions of accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic and the adjustments to the Treaties on which the European Union was founded. The request had been made in proceedings between Merck Canada Inc. and Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd and Sigma Pharmaceuticals plc, concerning the importation into the United Kingdom of a pharmaceutical product called 'Singulair' from Poland.