Nanotechnologies and patent law

This article presents the law of industrial properties within the context of nanotechnologies. Although this domain stands out by its innovative and interdisciplinary nature, its legal issues are not a priori different from that of other technological sectors, except for a fiercer race for patents. Although most applications are promising and furthermore concern a wide range of products, they are nonetheless sometimes of a rather abstract nature. However, an invention is defined as an intellectual creation that can be the object of an industrial application. What then of the application of patent law to nanotechnologies?