The subject of investigation of this book is the economic effect of intellectual property rights in general, and in particular, the harmonisation of such rights in Europe. The book is built upon two case studies. One is looking at the internal situation of the European Union by analysing the situation of patenting for biotechnological inventions in Europe. The other looks at a European Union related issue, that is the harmonisation and building-up process of intellectual property right systems in Central and Eastern European countries.