Book excerpt: This book covers a broad range of legal topics relating to the fields of bioinformatics and medical informatics, which relate to the intersection of biomedical information and computer programming within the contexts of scientific research, product development and healthcare delivery. A number of usually distinct bodies of legal doctrine come together in this area, sometimes overlapping, sometimes colliding in unexpected ways. Key issues discussed in the book include: An overview of the current landscape of bioinformatics and medical informatics A focus on the legal issues arising from the development and acquisition of informatics tools for use in a laboratory or healthcare setting Developments in patent and innovation law that are important for informatics applications A discussion of institutions and collaborative arrangements in which informatics applications are developed and used today Data protection and privacy issues applicable to informatics applications in the U.S. and Europe. While no single work can cover the entire set of legal issues arising from large, dynamic and complex fields such as bioinformatics and medical informatics, this book strives to offer the reader insight into some of the major legal trends and considerations applicable to these fields today.