(Mexico, 24th of April of 2008) The wealth and economic growth of countries can be explained by the capacities to generate research, create knowledge, appropriate it and transform it into new technologies. The book Knowledge protection and generation: Intellectual property, innovation and economic development, coordinated by Jorge Mario Martínez-Piva, and published by the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), offers an analysis based on the relevant dynamics for producing economic growth from the sphere of creating knowledge.

Martínez-Piva, coordinator of this publication, along with the participating authors, agree on the fact that the study of the contemporary dynamics and mechanisms of circulation, and appropriation of knowledge is an urgent task for developing countries, since the capabilities related to technological change increasingly appear to be the path for developing countries to move away from their condition on the periphery.

Knowledge protection and generation: Intellectual property, innovation and economic development addresses three fundamental topics. The first is whether strengthening protection of intellectual property encourages or hinders technological learning and innovation in developing countries. The second deals with the way in which knowledge is generated and how it is transformed into useful technology for the market, that is, how national systems work. The third chapter describes the role of public policy as an instrument for innovation and regulating intellectual property.

The structure of the book allows for a profound analysis over the rights of intellectual property from an economic view, such as the strengthening of intellectual property rights in light of trade agreements. It also pays particular attention to sensitive issues for developing countries such as access to medicines and protection of biological diversity, living organisms and regulating intellectual property. The concluding chapter of the book analyzes policies pertaining to innovation and protection of intellectual property in Mexico, which holds relevance to the rest of the countries of Latin American as  Mexico is the only country in the region that is a member of OECD and has a rich history of industrial policy, science and technology policy and trade openness.

The studies presented in this volume demonstrate that if the Latin American countries seek to develop competitiveness based on knowledge and innovation in the present context of rigorous intellectual property, they should take a leap in their science and technology policies to generate processes and products of a higher aggregated value, reach higher levels of technological development and increase the salaries of the workers. In summation, to reap the benefits of the growing global market and open paths for long term development will require active public policies for science and technology.

For more information, please contact Jorge Mario Martínez-Piva, Tel. +52 555263 9695, jorgemario.martinezcepal.org The book Knowledge protection and generation: Intellectual property, innovation and economic development is distributed by Springer, inc. and is available for purchase online at; www.springer.com +212-460-1500  Fax: +212-460-1575