Briefing Papers

The Institute's briefing papers are currently being updated but the latest revisions are available below.

• Patenting in the Pharmaceutical Industry - Supplementary Protection Certificates
  The Chartered Institute of Patent Agents strongly supports an all-industry approach to patenting inventions, including inventions made in the pharmaceutical industry...
• Patentability of Animals
  Industrially useful inventions are generally patentable if they are novel and involve an inventive step (i.e. they are surprisingly different, rather than simply a development, modification or combination of previously known features)...
• Patenting of Human Gene Sequences
  The technology known as "genetic engineering" involves the transfer of genetic information from one organism to another so that the modified organism can carry out the function for which the transferred genetic information provides the instructions...
• Patenting of Living Organisms
  This page has been temporarily withdrawn for revision.
• Patenting of Plants
  Modern agriculture relies almost entirely on plant varieties that have been bred by man. If development of further improved varieties...
• The United Nations Bio-Diversity Convention
  The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, known as the Biodiversity Convention, was enacted in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. The Convention was signed by 157 Governments and more have signed since then...