Biotechnological Inventions and Patentability of Life

The US and European Experience

New Directions in Patent Law series

Andrea Stazi, Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Italy

In today’s technological world, biotechnology is one of the most innovative and highly invested-in industries for research, in the field of science. This book analyses the forms and limitations of patent protection recognition for biotechnological inventions, with particular regard to patentability of life.

‘Professor Stazi’s volume on biotechnological inventions is an excellent work that any scholar or practitioner in this complex area of law should not only read, but also frequently consult. This detailed, systematic and comprehensive explanation of the provisions on “patentability of life” – both in the EU and the USA – is combined with the related theories and constructions as well as the relevant case law. In this regard, the author offers a balanced overview of the relevant provisions and their explicit or implied exceptions.’
- Alberto Musso, University of Bologna, Italy

‘The appropriate protection of biotechnological inventions and the so-called “patentability of life” are one of the most crucial questions of modern intellectual property. It is also one of the most debated, as it involves not only complex legal issues but raises high social, ethical and even sometimes religious concerns. Professor Stazi’s book is thus a very timely contribution, managing the “tour de force” of combining serious and comparative doctrinal analysis of the criteria (and the limits) of patentability, while at the same time offering a good overview of the challenges with regard to bioethics and fundamental rights. Without any doubt, this volume will enrich the already excellent series on New Directions in Patent Law.’
– Christophe Geiger, CEIPI, University of Strasbourg, France