ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses the intellectual property (IP) and food, and cover topics as diverse as geographic indications of tequila, water and rum, 'patent busting', socio-economic factors and the root causes of poverty. This collection is the output of the IP and Food Workshop held on the Gold Coast, Australia in September 2012 and hosted by Griffith University's Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture (ACIPA). The book explains the 'Public Research and Plant Germplasm: Intellectual Property and Food Security', focus on the increasing role of intellectual property in agricultural research and food production. In 'Reconceptualizing Intellectual Property to Promote Food Security' Brad Sherman examines the place of intellectual property within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Retracing of intellectual property within the CGIAR system, Sherman shows how there has been a shift towards using intellectual property in publicly funded agricultural research.
