Ull ich, Hanns
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Food and Indus ial P ope y in Con ex
IIC - In e na ional Re iew o In ellec ual P ope y and Compe i ion Law
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Ull ich, Hanns (2025) : Food and Indus ial P ope y in Con ex , IIC - In e na ional
Re iew o In ellec ual P ope y and Compe i ion Law, ISSN 2195-0237, Sp inge , Be lin, Heidelbe g,
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EDITORIAL
Food and Indus ial P ope y in Con ex
Hanns Ull ich
Published online: 10 Feb ua y 2025
The Au ho (s) 2025
Almos a decade ago, a e yea s o nego ia ions, he Gene al Assembly o he Uni ed
Na ions adop ed a Resolu ion on ‘‘T ans o ming ou wo ld: he 2030 Agenda o
Sus ainable De elopmen .’’
1
The Resolu ion se 17 Sus ainable De elopmen Goals
(SDG) comp ising 169 a ge s ha a e o be eached by 2030. The i s goal is ‘‘End
po e y in all i s o ms e e ywhe e’’, and he second‘‘End hunge , achie e ood secu i y
and imp o ed nu i ion and p omo e sus ainable ag icul u e.’’ The la e goal is speci ied
by a ge s designed o ‘‘end hunge and ensu e access by all people … o sa e, nu i ious
and su icien ood all yea a ound’’ ( a ge 2.1), o ‘‘end all o ms o malnu i ion …’’
( a ge 2.2), ‘‘ o double he ag icul u al p oduc i i y and incomes o small-scale ood
p oduce s …’’ ( a ge 2.3), and o ensu e sus ainable ood p oduc ion sys ems and
esilien ag icul u al p ac ices ha inc ease p oduc i i y and p oduc ion …’’ ( a ge 2.4).
A mid- e m o he Agenda 2030, he Gene al Assembly endo sed a Poli ical
Decla a ion adop ed a he High-le el Poli ical Fo um on Sus ainable De elopmen
ha no ed ha ‘‘ he achie emen o he SDGs is in pe il’’ because o he scan
p og ess made, ea i med he p inciples o he 2030 Agenda and i s goals, and
exp essed he commi men o go e nmen s o ein o ce hei e o s o achie e he
Agenda’s goals, in pa icula by comp ehensi e and a ge ed measu es o e adica e
po e y, by accele a ing ac ions o end hunge , ood insecu i y and malnu i ion in
all i s o ms, and by p omo ing sus ainable and esilien ag icul u e and ood
Hanns Ull ich is hono a y p o esso a he College o Eu ope, B uges, Belgium, and esea ch associa e a
he Max Planck Ins i u e o Inno a ion and Compe i ion, Munich, Ge many.
H. Ull ich (&)
P o . (em.) D . D . h.c., MCJ (NYU); esea ch associa e, Max Planck Ins i u e o Inno a ion and
Compe i ion, Munich, Ge many
e-mail: [email p o ec ed]
1
UN Gene al Assembly, Resolu ion o 25 Sep embe 2014, Uni ed Na ions, A/RES/70/1.
123
IIC (2025) 56:1–5
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s40319-025-01568-7
sys ems.
2
In ac , howe e , he Decla a ion has ha dly p oduced any e ec . Thus,
he FAO’s 2024 assessmen o ‘‘The S a e o Food Secu i y and Nu i ion in he
Wo ld’’ epo s ‘‘a con inuing lack o p og ess owa ds he goals o Ze o Hunge ’’,
and ha i ually no p og ess has been made owa ds he global nu i ion a ge s.
3
Wo ldwide, be ween 8.1 and 9.4% o he popula ion su e om unde nou ishmen
– he a e is 20.4% in A ica; 28.9% su e om mode a e o se e e ood insecu i y;
and 10.7% om se e e insecu i y. Popula ions in u al a eas gene ally a e mo e
exposed o hese ha dships han popula ions in u ban a eas.
4
A he same ime, in
2022, 35.5% o he wo ld’s popula ion we e unable o a o d a heal hy die , he cos
o which amoun s o, on a e age, 3.96 PPP $ pe pe son pe day.
5
Th ee main d i e s hampe secu e and a o dable access o (heal hy) ood:
6
i s ,
dis up i e and las ing poli ical con lic s, such as (ci il) wa s; second, clima e
a iabili y and wea he ex emes o ola ili y esul ing in, e.g., d ough s o loods,
loss o ha es s o e en o a able land, which all en ail supply sho ages and/o p ice
inc eases;
7
hi d, economic slowdowns and ou igh down u ns.
8
F equen ly enough,
wo – o all h ee – o hese d i ing phenomena occu simul aneously, in e ac and
p oduce compounded nega i e e ec s, e.g., high in la ion a es,
9
and hey end o hi
2
See UN Gene al Assembly, Resolu ion o 29 Sep embe 2023 wi h Annex ‘‘Poli ical Decla a ion
adop ed a he High-le el Poli ical Fo um on Sus ainable De elopmen ’’ (HLPF) unde he auspices o he
Gene al Assembly in Sep embe 2023, A/RES/78/1, passim, in pa icula pa a. 38. In pa , his
Decla a ion o he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals Summi was a eac ion o he COVID-19 c isis, bu
o e all, i cons i u es a b oad mid- e m assessmen o he s a e o he Agenda 2030.
3
Food and Ag icul u al O ganiza ion o he Uni ed Na ions (FAO) e al., 2024, The S a e o Food
Secu i y and Nu i ion in he Wo ld – Financing o End Hunge , Food Insecu i y and Malnu i ion in all
i s Fo ms, Rome (FAO) 2024, p. x iii, xx, 4 e seq., 22 e seq.
4
In numbe s: wo ldwide 713 o 757 million people su e om unde nou ishmen ; 2.33 billion people
om mode a e o se e e ood insecu i y; 864 million people om se e e ood insecu i y. Fo de ails see
FAO e al. (2024), sup a no e 3, p. x iii e seq. (Ex. Summ.), 4 e passim (Ch.2). No he n Ame ica and
Eu ope a e leas a ec ed (4%), ibid. Fig. 5 wi h ex p. 16; o he di e ence be ween u ban and u al
a eas see ibid. Fig. 6 wi h ex p. 17. Mode a e ood insecu i y means a lack o consis en access o ood
ha diminishes die a y quali y, dis up s no mal ea ing pa e ns, and can ha e nega i e consequences o
nu i ion, heal h and well-being. Se e e ood insecu i y exis s when people ha e likely un ou o ood,
expe ienced hunge , and, a he mos ex eme, gone o days wi hou ea ing, pu ing hei heal h and well-
being a g a e isk; see FAO e al. (2024), ibid., Annex 2.
5
FAO e al. (2024), sup a no e 3, p. xix e seq. (Ex. Summ.), 22 e seq. (Ch.2). This indica o es s on
na ional es ima es o he cos s o acqui ing he cheapes possible heal hy die in a coun y. PPP s ands o
‘‘pu chasing powe pa i y’’. Fo egional cos di e ences and p ice inc eases see FAO e al. (2024), ibid.
p. 24 e seq.
6
Fo he ollowing see FAO e al. (2024), sup a no e 3, p. 56, 58 e seq.
7
Fo de ails see FAO (2018), 2018 The S a e o Food Secu i y and Nu i ion in he Wo ld – Building
Clima e Resilience o Food Secu i y and Nu i ion, Rome (FAO) 2018, p. 38 e passim (Pa 2). I is no
only clima e a iabili y and wea he ex emes as such, bu hei s eadily inc easing equency and non-
p edic abili y ha makes hem a se e e d i e o ood insecu i y in al eady ulne able coun ies.
8
Fo de ails see FAO (2019), 2019 The S a e o Food Secu i y and Nu i ion in he Wo ld – Sa egua ding
Agains Economic Slowdowns and Down u ns, Rome (FAO) 2019, p. 50 e passim (Pa 2). An impo an
aspec is ha dependence on expo s o impo s o (p ima y) commodi ies, i.e., a s uc u al de ici o
di e si ica ion, cha ac e izes he economies o mos low-income coun ies (LICs) and lowe middle-
income coun ies (LMICs), and sys ema ically ein o ces he nega i e impac s o economic slowdowns
and down u ns on ood secu i y.
9
See Wo ld Bank (2024), Food Secu i y Upda e Decembe 13, 2024, p. 3 and Annex A.
123
2 H. Ull ich
low-income coun ies o lowe middle-income coun ies mos s ongly and almos
sys ema ically.
10
Al hough hese d i e s a e o qui e a di e en na u e – by
de ini ion clima e change is a global and las ing phenomenon ha ac ually o
po en ially a ec s he esou ces o and he bases o ood p oduc ion and supply in
all coun ies – he high exposu e o low-income and lowe middle-income coun ies
o hem poin s o a common denomina o ha is o in e es he e, namely o s uc u al
po e y.
11
Po e y is e e ed o he e no in i s socio-poli ical conno a ion bu in i s simples
meaning as a undamen al limi a ion o disposable income, i.e., as he absence o
pu chasing powe . The s uc u al dimension i has in he economies o low-income
and lowe middle-income coun ies e eals he basic con lic ha exis s be ween he
need o gene al accessibili y o a o dable ood on he one hand, and, on he o he ,
he a ailabili y o indus ial p ope y p o ec ion in he ood sec o . Indus ial
p ope y p o ec ion inhe en ly leads o p ices beyond compe i i e le els because i
es s on a ade-o be ween he g an o a ime-limi ed posi ion o exclusi i y on he
ma ke o he p o ec ed p oduc and open compe i ion o making ha p oduc
gene ally a ailable a he lowes possible p ice. Unde condi ions o s uc u al
po e y, ha ade-o canno be made legi ima ely a he expense o he
accessibili y o basic ood and he secu i y o i s a ailabili y, he less so as he
a ionale unde lying he ade-o does no o a leas no ully apply. The pu pose o
he g an o exclusi i y is o secu e o i s holde alone he p o i oppo uni ies ha
o he wise compe i i e ma ke s o e o i s inno a i e p oduc s. This means ha he
‘‘IP incen i e’’ depends on wha demand is willing o pay. Howe e , unde
condi ions o s uc u al po e y and necessi y, he e is no o only insu icien oom
o such willingness o , pu di e en ly, o ee choice. In sho , because he
p o ec ion o indus ial p ope y cons i u es a ma ke mechanism, i ails when
ma ke s do no wo k. I , ne e heless, i is implemen ed and elied upon, i ends o
ei he exclude en i e segmen s o he popula ion o o sys ema ically exploi hei
s uc u al dependency. In addi ion, a close look a he ma ke s o ood in low-
income and lowe middle-income coun ies would be necessa y in o de o ind ou
whe he o o wha ex en hey a e open o compe i ion o a he subjec o
egula ion, including p ice egula ion, o o o ms o subsidiza ion o he o e o he
10
See FAO e al. (2024), sup a no e 3, Figs. 17, 18 and accompanying ex .
11
Fo he ela ionship be ween ood insecu i y and he ex en o s uc u al po e y in a coun y see FAO
(2019), sup a no e 8, p. 79 e seq. (Pa 2, sub 2.3). The b oad de ini ion o ood secu i y used in he
FAO’s epo s explains why he ela ionship appea s o be ambi alen . Howe e , as po e y is gene ally
de ined by e e ence o di e en le els, namely 2.15 PPP $ (= ex eme po e y), 3.65 PPP $ (= LMIC
le el), and 6.85 PPP $ (= le el o uppe middle-income coun ies) pe pe son pe day, i s p e alence
coincides wi h he coun ies ha a e mos exposed o he d i e s o ood insecu i y, see Wo ld Bank
(2024), Po e y, P ospe i y and Plane Repo 2024: Pa hways ou o he Polyc isis – O e iew,
Washing on D.C. (Wo ld Bank) 2024, p. 1 e passim.
123
Food and Indus ial P ope y in Con ex 3
demand by public and/o p i a e money, he pu pose o which is o he han o
bene i he holde s o indus ial p ope y.
12
While he upsho o his analysis o ood insecu i y is ha indus ial p ope y is
likely o con ibu e he leas o – domes ic – inno a ion in coun ies whe e
inno a ion is needed mos ,
13
i does no mean ha indus ial p ope y has no ole o
play in ela ion o ood. I only means ha he ole indus ial p ope y may play
depends on he con ex in which i is called upon, and ha his con ex needs o be
de ined mo e b oadly han as indus ial p ope y p o ec ion as i applies o ood.
Wha ma e s is he o e all con ex in which indus ial p ope y and ood mee in an
economy. An example is he common jus i ica ion o indus ial p ope y p o ec ion
in sensi i e sec o s, such as heal h o p ecisely ood, which is ha p o ec ion is
needed in he in e es p ecisely o he p o ision o heal hie o mo e easily
a o dable ood. Wha e e alue ha a gumen may ha e in he abs ac , i becomes
plausible only i he legisla i e implemen a ion o p o ec ion by no ma i e e ms
de e mining he g an , he scope and he en o cemen o p o ec ion akes accoun o
he socio-economic condi ions o a coun y and i he au ho i ies and cou s in e p e
hem acco dingly. Thus, he ade-o may shi , albei only wi hin he limi s se by
in e na ional law. Mo e pa icula ly, he s anda ds o p o ec ion may be made mo e
demanding, i s scope may be na owed o excep ions may be ead libe ally.
14
Admi edly, e en i in a gi en coun y poli ical ci cums ances a e a o able o
such a coun y-speci ic app oach, i will be any hing bu easy o ollow his
app oach. Despi e a huge body o heo e ical li e a u e and empi ical s udies, ou
knowledge o he condi ions o an economic and socio-poli ical op imum o
p o ec ion emains unsa is ac o y, and he complexi y o he in e ac ing ac o s and
o ces is such as o make ou comes unp edic able.
15
A any a e, an ins umen alis
app oach o indus ial p ope y p o ec ion ha selec i ely a ge s pa icula goals,
a eas o subjec -ma e s o inno a ion is doomed o ail. Indus ial p ope y sys ems
a e echnology-neu al amewo k egula ions o ma ke s ha unc ion p ope ly
only i , i s , ma ke ac o s may eely choose he inno a ion oppo uni ies hey
hink will allow a p o i able ecoupmen o he in es men s hey make, and i ,
second, hey ha e o selec and exploi hese oppo uni ies unde condi ions o
e ec i e compe i ion. In his ega d, he de elopmen , p oduc ion and dis ibu ion
12
Fo he ‘‘Financing o end hunge , ood insecu i y and malnu i ion in all i s o ms’’ see FAO e al.
(2024), sup a no e 3, p. 45 e passim (Ch. 3), 71 e passim (Ch.4); o he p eca ious na u e o p i a e
inancing o domes ic p oduc ion o ood see ibid.p.88e seq.
13
Acco dingly, he numbe o applica ions o and g an o pa en s in LICs and LMICs is a he low,
wi h non- esiden applica ions ypically ou numbe ing applica ions by esiden s; see WIPO (2024), Wo ld
Pa en Indica o s 2024, Gene a (WIPO) 2024, Tables A9, A10, A15, A16, A18. A no able excep ion is
India; see ibid., p. 10.
14
See in e alia, M. Lamping, R. M. Hil y, e al. (2014) ‘‘Decla a ion on Pa en P o ec ion – Regula o y
So e eign y Unde TRIPS’’, 45 IIC p. 79; M. Lamping and R. M. Hil y (2016) ‘‘Pa en Decla a ion:
Reasons and Pu poses’’ 6 UC I ine L.Re . p. 469.
15
Fo he o me see K. Maskus (2017) ‘‘Cogni i e dissonance in he economics o pa en p o ec ion,
ade and de elopmen ’’ in G. Ghidini, H. Ull ich and P. D ahos (eds) K i ika – Essays on In ellec ual
P ope y, Vol. 2, Chel enham (Elga ), 1 e passim; o he la e E. Gold (2024) ‘‘Regula o y capi alism
and legal e olu ion’’ in H. Ull ich, P. D ahos and G. Ghidini (eds) K i ika – Essays on In ellec ual
P ope y, Vol. 6, Chel enham (Elga ), pp. 193, 199 e passim.
123
4 H. Ull ich
o ood cons i u es no excep ion since i is no an isola ed sec o o he economy.
The alue-c ea ing chain om a m o able depends on he use o e icien
machine y, on he exis ence o eliable sys ems and means o anspo a ion, on he
a ailabili y o sa e and p ope packaging, s o age, condi ioning and p ese a ion o
ood, and on all le els on he use o mode n chemicals and he means o ad anced
digi al ans o ma ion o p oduc ion, dis ibu ion e c., hus on he inpu s o a la ge
di e si y o indus ies. The equi emen s o en i onmen al sus ainabili y and he
cons ain s esul ing om clima e change and demog aphic g ow h only add o he
p essu e on adi ional ag i ood sys ems ha he las ing end owa d indus ializa-
ion pu s on hem and, in ac , on all ag i ood sys ems.
16
The e a e no excep ions o escapes om his end, no e en in he ield o plan
b eeding, which, due o mode n gene ics, is mo e and mo e d i en by echnology.
The e o e, he undamen al p inciple akes on e e mo e impo ance, which is ha
indus ial p ope y does no ha e a alue in i sel bu is g an ed o a pu pose. I has
o se e dynamic compe i ion o inno a ion on he ma ke s i co e s and, he eby,
o con ibu e o socio-economic p og ess. Al hough he Agenda 2030 se s uni e sal
goals and a ge s o sus ainable de elopmen in all coun ies, i is o each
indi idual coun y o each hem by policies and s a egies co esponding o hei
pa icula needs and ci cums ances.
17
I is only i adap ed o he coun y’s con ex
and limi ed o i s pu pose ha indus ial p ope y will adequa ely se e goals 1 and 2
o he Agenda.
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16
See FAO (2022), The S a e o Food and Ag icul u e 2022 – Le e aging Au oma ion in Ag icul u e o
T ans o ming Ag i ood Sys ems, Rome (FAO) 2022, p. 1 e passim,17e passim; FAO (2024), The S a e
o Food and Ag icul u e 2024 – Value-d i en T ans o ma ion o Ag i ood Sys ems, Rome (FAO) 2024,
p. 8 e passim,17e passim, he la e epo poin ing ou ha by sha e o GDP he hidden (en i onmen al,
social, heal h) cos s o adi ional ag i ood sys ems a e conside ably highe han hose o indus ial
ag i ood sys ems, he o me being ypical o LICs and MLICs and he la e o high-income coun ies.
17
See UN Gene al Assembly, Resolu ion o 25 Sep embe 2015 (Agenda 2030), sup a no e 1, pa a. 55.
123
Food and Indus ial P ope y in Con ex 5
