ABSTRACT
Patent law is regulated by the Patents Act (PA) 1977, although decisions under the Patents Act 1949 continue to aid interpretation. The UK is also a signatory to the European Patent Convention, incorporated into the PA 1977, which is also applicable. European and other international legislation has significant impact on UK law regarding patents. Examples include the Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT), TRIPS (provides minimum levels of protection for intellectual property rights), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Patent Law Treaty (PLT).
