🍄 Are you running an agricultural enterprise based on microorganisms such as algae or fungi? You must have wondered if there exist ways to seek legal protection for new strains or hybrids that you have created, or even novel by-products from your strains. The simple answer is yes. However, this is dependent on divergences in national and regional laws on the patentability of biological materials. Generally, a microbial strain or a novel by-product is suited for patenting if it is novel, involves an inventive step, and industrially applicable.