Databases play an important role in scientific research. Developments in the last decade have made databases essential for much biomedical research. The access to data and the ability to extract and re-utilize the data have always played an important part in scientific investigation. As always, intellectual property law raises legal questions concerning a proportionate balance between the right to access to information for scientists and the adequate protection of investment for the database maker. A disproportionate balance may either hinder the proliferation of new databases which are necessary and useful to scientific researchers or create a monopoly of biological data by the maker of a database. In this context two main questions might arise:
a. Whether biological databases can be protected with sui generis right and -if so-
b. How can this affect to scientific research?