Pursuant to the principles laid down in Directive 98/44/EC, this Decree-Law sets out provisions concerning the legal protection of biotechnological inventions. In particular, it specifies patentability conditions. Inventions which are new, involve an inventive step and are susceptible of industrial application may be patentable as long as they meet the requirements specified in this Decree-Law. Further provisions describe the procedure to be followed by the Italian Patent Office to assess the pa