Patents for Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology is the established and highly-acclaimed introduction to patent law and practice, guiding the reader through the legal and procedural complexities of the British, European, Japanese, and United States patent systems. It explains in detail the role of patent practitioners, both in private practice and in-house, in maximising the commercial potential of their company's or client's products. The eagerly awaited new sixth edition of this highly respected text has been fully revised and updated to discuss major new developments in patent law, patent aspects of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), developments in the area of competition law and patents, and all relevant case law of the US, UK, and the European Patent Office (EPO). This is a comprehensive and invaluable guide to this rapidly developing and increasingly globalised area of law, providing a full description of the techniques and industry know-how that underlie successful patent practice and portfolio management.