This right allows the inventor to claim the invention for himself alone for a specified time and in a specific country, thus excluding others from its commercial exploitation. Patents applications can be submitted both nationally and supranationally. For example, the European Patents Office can grant a patent effective in all countries signatory to the European Patent Convention. However, the submittion of a patent application does not automatically mean that patent protcetion will be granted. Biotechnology and its sister fields of genetic engineering are among the key technologies with lasting effect on our future, in particular with regard to health services and agriculture, but also to environmental protection.
Modern research needs biotechnology if it is to remain innovative and competitive.
The development of biotechnological products requires enormous research expenditure. A company cannot afford to spend several million dollars on the development of a new biotechnologically manufactured product without patent proctection against commercial production and marketing by competitors.