SpringerBriefs in Biotech Patents present timely reports of intellectual properties (IP) issues and patent aspects in the field of biotechnology. Biotech patenting has some very specific issues which make the field completely different from other technical disciplines. The world of biotech patents is still in motion, with new court decisions issuing every other day, which makes it difficult to keep track of the latest developments. Knowledge of IP rights is however essential for protecting corporate R&D issues, and to increase corporate value. Of equal importance is the analysis of the patent landscape before defining research strategies and selecting appropriate techniques.

Each volume of SpringerBriefs in Biotech Patents provides an overview of a given technical field, and shows the protected techniques and/or compounds. It describes key patents which might relate only to a single aspect, protocol step or compound. Other volumes relate to more general aspects, as for example specific issues of US law, or general aspects related to Biotech IP.

Thus, SpringerBriefs in Biotech Patents helps companies and institutes to develop a suitable IP strategy, particularly to develop a proprietary IP portfolio, to find out whether a technology is already protected, to define the prospective licensors, select key patents and patent applications and to facilitate the entry into freedom-to-operate studies