The Patents (Amendment) Rules 2001
These Rules amend the Patents Rules 1995 (S.I. 1995/2093 as amended by S.I. 1999/1092, S.I. 1999/1899 and S.I. 1999/3197 (“the 1995 Rules”) in order to implement Articles 13 and 14 of Directive 98/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 1998 on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions (“the Directive”). Articles 13 and 14 of the Directive concern the deposit, access and re-deposit of biological material. Amendment is also made to the 1995 Rules to more closely align them with the parallel regulations on deposit of biological material under the European Patent Convention. The following amendments are made: