Patent Law and Food Innovation

Summary, in English

Patent Law is a legal field designed to promote technological innovation. Patent rights ensure exclusivity of rights to commercialize and explore innovation and in this sense are a fundamental mechanism to attract investment, ensure revenue streams and foster innovation. The relative relevance of patent rights depends on sectors of activity, business models and the nature of both the underlying invention and the commercialized products. This entry briefly explores the importance of patent law in the food sector and explains the basic features of patent law, such as, what can be the object of a patent, the requirements for protection, exceptions from patentability and how these specifically affect the patentability of innovations in the food sector, whether these pertain to agricultural plant and animal production or industrial food products, and processes for food production.

• Author: Ana Nordberg
• Editor: Bernd van der Meulen; Bart Wernaart
• Department/s: Department of Law; Health Law; Human Rights Law; Lund University Centre for Business Law (Swedish abbr: ACLU)
• Publishing year: 2025-11-13
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Food Law
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781802209709
• Document type: Article in encyclopedia
• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
• Topic: Law; Social Sciences
• Keywords: Patents and food; Patents and animal welfare; Patents and plant varieties; Food innovation; Patents and food sustainabilit; Patents and protein transition; Private law; Patenträtt; Civilrätt; Livsmedelsinnovation
• Status: Published
• Research group: Health Law; Human Rights Law; Lund University Centre for Business Law (Swedish abbr: ACLU)
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISBN: 9781802209709; ISBN: 9781802209693