| European Union directive | |
 | |
| Title | Directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions |
|---|---|
| Made by | European Parliament & Council |
| Made under | Art. 100a |
| Journal reference | L213, 30 July 1998, pp. 13–21 |
| History | |
| Date made | 1998-07-06 |
| Entry into force | 1998-07-30 |
| Implementation date | 2000-07-30 |
| Preparative texts | |
| Commission proposal | C296, 1996-10-08, p. 4. C311, 1997-10-11, p. 12. |
| EESC opinion | C295, 1996-10-07, p. 11 |
| EP opinion | C286, 1997-09-22, p. 87. C167, 1998-06-01 |
| Reports | COM(2002) 2 COM(2002) 545 COM(2005) 312 |
| Other legislation | |
| Replaces | — |
| Amends | — |
| Amended by | — |
| Replaced by | — |
| Current legislation | |
Directive 98/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 1998 on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions is a European Union directive in the field of patent law, made under the internal market provisions of the Treaty of Rome. It was intended to harmonise the laws of Member States regarding the patentability of biotechnological inventions, including plant varieties (as legally defined) and human genes.