The present paper provides a thorough analysis of the genesis and content of the Belgian Bill of September 21 2004 implementing the EU Biotechnology. A careful comparison is made with the previous Bill of June 21 2002. Wide attention is also paid to the opinion of the Conseil d’ Etat regarding...

Information and knowledge form the very basis of scientific progress. Access to information and disclosure of research results are key to the advancement of a knowledge economy. Current academic knowledge development, however, is characterized by two tendencies which may form a threat to further...

Concerns have been raised that the upsurge of 3D printing technology would disrupt the patent system. The central question the present paper aims to address is whether and to what extent the emergence of 3D printing technology indeed urges us to rethink patent law. The paper splits up this...

Patents in the life sciences sector have sparked considerable debate over the past years. The grant of a series of patents for the screening of breast cancer (BRCA) genes led to wide controversy in Europe, the US and Australia. The grant of patents for plants resulting from essentially...

The political changes in Central and Eastern Europe have prompted a wave of legislative reforms in the area of industrial property law. The present article aims to examine the current legal scene as to the protection of new plants and animals in the Russian Federation in the context of the...

Belgium takes the equitable sharing objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity to heart and intends to require information on the geographical origin of biological material. From a strictly legal point of view, current Belgian patent law does not offer a gate of entry for such an origin...

In the last decade patent law has been in turmoil and has been seriously criticized. At present, serious concerns are being raised with regard to human embryonic stem cells and oocytes. Are the arguments put forward against patents for human genes similar to the objections raised against patents...

The present paper examines the relationship between price differentiation and intellectual property rights (IPRs). We explore this relation from two opposing, yet complementary angles. First, we investigate whether IPRs form a barrier to differential pricing. Do pharmaceutical patents hinder the...

Framing the problem: The current patent landscape for human genomic science has refuelled the debate on human gene patents. Expressed in figurative language, concerns are raised that patent thickets and blocking patents will lead to a tragedy of the anti-commons, and that new genetic inventions...

Background of the Report: On April 24 2001 the European Commission appointed the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE). In his welcome message President Prodi requested the Group to give an Opinion on the ethical aspects of patents resulting from research into stem...