Guidance

Examining patent applications for biotechnological inventions

These guidelines set out how we examine patent applications for biotechnological inventions under the Patents Act 1977.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Published: 6 May 2010
• Last updated: 30 August 2022 — See all updates

Documents

Examining patent applications for biotechnological inventions

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Details

This guide covers:

• basic considerations
• claim construction
• relevant UK case law
• relevant decisions under the European Patent Convention
• trilateral project reports
• US Patent and Trademark Office guidelines on utility
• stem cell practice note
• amicus curiae brief

Published 6 May 2010
Last updated 30 August 2022 + show all updates

1. 30 August 2022

   Changes to paragraphs, 99, 100 and 101 due to the WIPO ST.26 sequence listings standard added which came into force from 1 July 2022.

2. 27 October 2021

   An HTML document was published on 29 September 2021.

3. 21 October 2016

   HTML publication added.

4. 31 March 2016

   Examining patent applications for biotechnological inventions document updated.

5. 6 May 2010

   First published.