How Mexico Documented Every Step of Papermaking
1982 Mexico enacted law to control foreign technology dependence. Law tracked papermaking process, from wood chipping to finished product. This story explores the fight for self-reliance through the lens of a seemingly ordinary object: paper.
On January 11, 1982, the Law on the Control and Registration of the Transfer of Technology and the Use and Exploitation of Patents and Trademarks was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF). Thus, the National Registry of Technology Transfer was created, which represented a significant step towards the national objective of establishing an autonomous technological development policy. Likewise, it sought to break a pernicious cycle of external technological dependence in the country and resolve a concern that Mexico, together with Third World countries, had about issuing laws to control the technological flow.
At that time, foreign investment, especially from transnational corporations, imposed a technological dependency that was difficult to eliminate. The new law sought to change that dynamic by instituting a mechanism to register and control the transfer of foreign technology to companies established in Mexico. Two fundamental reasons were mentioned for this initiative: first, it provided crucial information on the technology acquired by the country and the modalities of that acquisition, which would serve as a basis for future development policies. Secondly, it addressed the negative aspects of the uncontrolled process of technology acquisition, ensuring that this acquisition was carried out in a manner beneficial to the overall objectives of the country's industrial development.
