Book excerpt: In recent years the field of bioinformatics has emerged from the university research laboratory and entered the mainstream healthcare establishment. During this time there has been a rapid increase of legal developments affecting this dynamic field, from Supreme Court decisions radically altering the patentability of informatics inventions to major developments in privacy law both in Europe and the U.S. This edited book strives to offer the reader insight into some of the major legal trends and considerations applicable to these fields today.