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William LesserSusan Eckert Lynch Professor of Science and Business, Department Chair Areas of ExpertiseTechnology Transfer, Property Rights Issues, Food Distribution Efficiency, Livestock and Fish Marketing
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William Lesser's research focuses on the implications of agricultural biotechnology products on production costs and the size, structure, and geographic distribution of farming. He also concentrates on the costs, benefits, and structural implications of intellectual property—particularly patents—for plants, seed, and animals. His analyses include comparisons between the U.S., Europe, and developing countries.
Professor Lesser worked on the application of intellectual property rights for the implementation of the Rio Biodiversity Convention at the International Academy of the Environment in Geneva, Switzerland, and he was the acting executive director of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), which is responsible for transferring new agricultural technologies to developing countries. He has advised the governments of Brazil, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, among others, on intellectual property matters and, in 2000, established the Cornell-in-India Agribusiness Executive Management Program.
His other research interests include food distribution efficiency, technology transfer, and livestock marketing.
Teaching
AEM
1220: Entrepreneurship in the Life Sciences
AEM 3350: International Technology Marketing of
Biotechnology
Selected Publications
Lesser, W., and M. A. Mutschler. 2004. Balancing Investment Incentives and Social Benefits when Protecting Plant Varieties: Implementing Initial Variety Systems. Crop Science 44:1113-20.
Lesser, W., and T. Lybbert. 2004. Do Patents Come Too Easy?. IDEA: The Journal of Law and Technology 44(3):381-409.
Lesser, W. 2003. Intellectual Property Rights in Agriculture. From a Crop Science Society Conference sponsored by the Farm Foundation, CD-ROM.
Lesser, W. 2002. The Effects of Intellectual Property Rights on Foreign Direct Investments and Imports into Developing Countries in the Post-TRIPs Era. Ithaca, NY, http://www.biodevelopments.org/ip/index.htm.
Lesser, W., T. M. Schmit, and L. M. Ruiz. 2001. Pricing elite germplasm for GMOs by developing countries: A method and application to Brazil. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review.
Lesser, W. 2000. Intellectual property rights under the Convention on Biological Diversity. In Agriculture and intellectual property rights, edited by V. Santiello, R. E. Evenson, D. Zilberman, and G. A. Carlson. London: CABI.
Lesser, W. 2000. An economic approach to identifying an "effective sui generis system" for plant variety protection under TRIPS. Agribusiness 16 (1):96-114.
Lesser, W. 2000. Plant breeders' rights. (For controlled access to the ISAAA web site, contact ip-tt@isaaa.org)
Lesser, W. 2000. Transitions in agbiotech: Economics of strategy and policy. Storrs, CT: Food Marketing Policy Center.
Lesser, W. 1999. Export marketing: An introductory guide. CD-ROM.
Lesser, W., J. Bernard, and K. Billah. 1999. Methodologies for ex ante projections of adoption rates for agbiotech products: Lessons learned from rBST. Agribusiness 15 (2): 149-62.
Lesser, W. 1998. Sustainable use of genetic resources under the convention on biological diversity: Exploring access and benefit sharing issues. London: CABI.
Professional Activities
• Chairman, AAEA Food and Agricultural Marketing Policy Section, 2000-01
• Director, Cornell-in-India Agribusiness Executive Management Program, 2000
• Acting Executive Director, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, 1994-95
• Sabbatical leave, International Academy of the Environment, Geneva, Switzerland, 1993-94
• Director, Cornell Western Societies Program, 1990-93
• Kellogg National Fellowship Program, 1989-91
• Food Distribution Research Society: Vice President/Education, 1982-84; Director, 1985-87
Education
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1978
M.S., University of Rhode Island, 1974
B.A., University of Washington, 1968
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University