Biotechnologies have already improved and have taken a significant role in the sustainable development of human life in different aspects such as economy, medicine, education, nutrition, etc. Biotechnological products help farmers reduce the number of chemical pesticides, water, and fuel consumption for food production. They can also be used for environmental cleaning and food production at lower costs and reduce the use of harmful substances. However, biotechnologies have been criticized, for example, genetically modified organisms may not have fully investigated consequences, and unknown toxins may be produced by biotechnological products or reduce biodiversity, leading to genetic contamination and poisoning. This paper attempts to estimate the advantages and disadvantages of the current international law and various structures and bodies to solve possible problems. Issues of biotechnology at the international level and agreements and treaties related to each of them may include the following: patenting and intellectual property protection; transparency of export and import, labeling system, and establishment of international standards and procedures; possible damage caused by genetically modified imported products, international liability, compensation for harmful effects, and preventive measures; liability for transboundary, negative impact on the environment of neighboring countries, etc. After consideration, it can be concluded that there is no single “contractual regime” governing biotechnologies; we can find a disparate and contradictory “network” of agreements related to intellectual property, trade, and environment, as well as a number of general principles of law and rules. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.