Biotech patents: the world is your oyster--or mouse--or (you name it).

The general rule is that a "product of nature" is not patentable. However, living entities, such as multicellular living organisms including animals, may be patented if they result from human intervention and the patent application relating thereto meets the other requirements of the patent statute. In early 1995, the United States Patent Office adopted biotechnology guidelines making it easier to meet some of those requirements, thereby encouraging even greater activity in this field.