The possibilities for protecting intellectual property are outlined with emphasis on the value and use of patent protection. The functions of the European Patent Convention & work of the European Patent Office in granting patents are briefly explained and the fundamental steps of the procedure, the important legal sanctions and their remedies are sketched. Pitfalls to recognise in filing applications in nanoelectronices are pointed out, the difficulties of searching this cross-disciplinary subject-matter and the issues of the examination process are summarised, with comment on the significance of the concepts of clarity, novelty & inventive step to the definition of the claimed subject-matter. The consequences of these definitions on the scope of protection are illustrated as are the possibilities and effects of amendments to the claims.I am an Examiner at the EPO-Munich and in charge of the directorate Semiconductor/Physics.

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