Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 11 November 2010 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Bundespatentgericht (Germany)) — Hogan Lovells International LLP v Bayer CropScience AG

(Case C-229/09) (1)

(Patent law - Plant-protection products - Regulation (EC) No 1610/96 - Directive 91/414/EEC - Supplementary protection certificate for plant protection products - Grant of a certificate for a product which had obtained a provisional marketing authorisation)

2011/C 13/16

Language of the case: German

Referring court

Bundespatentgericht

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Hogan Lovells International LLP

Defendant: Bayer CropScience AG

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — Bundespatentgericht — Interpretation of Article 3(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1610/96 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 concerning the creation of a supplementary protection certificate for plant protection products (OJ 1996 L 198, p. 30) — Conditions governing the acquisition of a supplementary protection certificate — Possibility of having such a certificate issued on the basis of a previous marketing authorisation issued pursuant to Article 8(1) of Directive 91/414/EEC — Active substance iodosulfuron

Operative part of the judgment

Article 3(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1610/96 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 concerning the creation of a supplementary protection certificate for plant protection products must be interpreted as not precluding a supplementary protection certificate from being issued for a plant protection product in respect of which a valid marketing authorisation has been granted pursuant to Article 8(1) of Council Directive 91/414/EEC of 15 July 1991 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market, as amended by Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 February 2005.

(1)  OJ C 220, 12.09.2009.