Protection of biotechnological inventions in Slovenia

Sufficient patent protection is, because of high investments in R&D, one of the most important factors for further development of high-technological f ields, like modern biotechnology. Unfortunately patent law and practice hav e serious difficulties in keeping up with the rapid scientific progress in these fields. European Union (EU) has attempted to adapt present patent leg islation to the current state of the art in the field of biotechnology with special legal act-The European directive on legal protection of biotechnol ogical inventions (Directive) issued in 1998. The comparison of patent legislation in Slovenia with those in EU shows tha t the possibilities for protection of biotechnological inventions in Sloven ia and EU are almost the same. The protection of industrial property in Slo venia is regulated by Law on Industrial Property of 1992, which form togeth er with several international treaties (like TRIPS Agreement, Paris Convent ions, The Budapest Treaty, UPOV Conventions, etc.) signed by Slovenia, a le gal frames for protection of inventions. Slovenian patent law is less restr ictive than European Patent Conventions (EPC) and allows inventors to get e ven broader protection for their inventions than they can get in EU. Patent ing of some inventions whose patentability is by EPC explicitly excluded (p lant and animal varieties) is possible in Slovenia. At the moment there is a new Slovenian patent law in preparation. Its main purpose is, because of the demands for harmonisation of Slovenian legislation with EU legislation, to harmonise the text of Slovenian patent law with provisions of TRIPS Agr eement, EPC and Directive. This will ensure to inventors and researchers in Slovenia the same competitive environment in regard of protection of their inventions as it have their colleagues in EU.