Book excerpt: Life Sciences is one of the most innovative and complex areas of law. It is currently undergoing a period of intense transformation, with companies facing an ever-increasing level of regulation as well as strict cost management in order to remain competitive and profitable. The latest in "A User's Guide to..." series it covers life sciences in relation to: - patents - copyright - trade marks; and - data protection The book covers UK law with references to significant EPO cases. A key part of the book is the coverage of case law. Case studies and detailed analysis of the key cases, eg the Kymab mouse case, the human genome sciences case, and the pregabalin case feature heavily helping to put this often complex area of law into context. Where appropriate and for comparison purposes, approaches of key foreign jurisdictions are summarised and for ease of use there are clearly signposted. A key text for practitioners specialising in life sciences and intellectual property in general and patents officers dealing with life sciences applications.