CNCP launches strategic plan
Author: Andrea Assef
Source: ETCO Magazine, No. 13, August 2009
In recent years, there has been a change in the profile of consumers of products originating from the illegal trade in Brazil. And for the best. Although many Brazilians still buy counterfeit products, the understanding that it is illegal is beginning to prevail. In addition, the population also realizes that, behind the illegal trade, there is a high social cost, and that it causes a series of harm on a large scale. This is the result of work that began in October 2004, with the installation of the National Council to Combat Piracy (CNCP), an institution linked to the Ministry of Justice. “Brazilian society is beginning to accept the idea that piracy is illegal and that its practice causes losses and a high social cost for Brazil,” says Luiz Paulo Teles Barreto, president of CNCP.
Interpol data show that illegal trade has become the most lucrative crime, with a turnover of around $ 522 billion worldwide. Research by the Ministry of Justice and Unicamp reveals that, due to piracy in general, Brazil stops creating 2 million formal jobs per year, and the country still loses more than 30 billion reais in revenue due to illegal trade. According to Barreto, last year, 6,7 million CDs and DVDs, 1,5 million cigarettes and 97.557 beverage bottles were seized. Also according to him, between January and March this year, more than 170 tons of counterfeit drugs were also seized, unregistered or smuggled in Brazil. The great victory achieved, however, is in the gradual change in the perception of society regarding the negative impact of the consumption of illegal products. Despite this, the fact that pirated products have lower prices than those of legalized items still persists as a justification for this type of consumption.
To demystify this line of reasoning and reiterate the damage that illegal trade generates to the country, the National Council for Combating Piracy and Crimes Against Intellectual Property (CNCP), of the Ministry of Justice, launched on May 28, 2009, a bold plan that contemplates 23 projects and whose main focus is education and consumer awareness about the harm of buying a counterfeit article. ETCO's executive chairman, André Montoro, participated in the launch ceremony of CNCP's new strategic planning, in which he made a presentation on Cidade Livre de Pirataria, a project that has the support of ETCO - the only private entity invited to participate in the exhibitions during the ceremony - and aims to municipalize the fight against piracy through incentives to city halls. During the event, which was attended by the Minister of Justice, Tarso Genro, a book was released that gives an overview of the Council's activities in recent years and reports on experiences from the private sector, including ETCO's performance, and was also presented the Brasil Original brand - Buy This Attitude. “Building a good business environment in a democracy is a task both for the public sector, which, in addition to drafting laws, has a monopoly on police and supervisory power, as well as for the population and private sector entities, which have the moral obligation, in addition to respecting the rules legitimately emanating from the constituted authorities, to actively collaborate so that these rules are obeyed by all citizens ”, said Montoro.
“We are not trying to fight the unemployed who sells the CD around the corner. We have to fight the root, organized crime ”
Tarso Genro, Minister of Justice
During the launch event of the new strategic planning, CNCP presented the brand Brasil Original - Compre Essa Atitude, which will appear on packaging or labels of original products, such as sneakers, T-shirts, electronics. The idea is to enhance the formal industry, which pays taxes and creates jobs. In addition to the brand, the book Original Brazil - Buy This Attitude was also launched, which brings the result of work to combat illegal trade in the country in recent years and presents the actions of the new plan. The actions will be developed in partnership with states, municipalities and private initiative. The event was attended by personalities, authorities and representatives of sectors such as industry and commerce. The Minister of Justice, Tarso Genro, drew attention to the negative effects of piracy and said that the objective is to fight the big mafias. “We are not trying to fight the unemployed person who is selling the CD around the corner to survive, because he is on the edge of a criminal case.
We have to fight the root cause, which is organized crime ”, said the minister. The CNCP president announced that the prices of original products most affected by piracy can also be reduced. "This would come not only with the drop in the tax burden, but also with the creation of popular product lines and discounts for students, for example."
"The prices of original products most affected by piracy can be reduced with the fall of the tax burden"
Luiz Paulo Teles Barreto, president of CNCP
Since 2004, when the National Council for Combating Piracy (CNCP) was created, formed by representatives of the government and civil society, the fight against this type of crime has been intensified in the country. During this period, the joint work between the Federal Police (PF), the Federal Highway Police (PRF) and the Federal Revenue Service was instrumental in increasing the number of arrests and apprehensions - over 85 thousand people were arrested and R $ 4 billion were apprehended in goods. As the illegal trade is dynamic, mainly because of technological advances, it was necessary to think of a plan that would involve the various sectors and also the consumer. Among the main projects are Trade Against Piracy, in which partnerships will be made with commerce (shopping malls and shopkeepers) to promote consumer awareness campaigns, encouraging them to buy original products, the Piracy Combat Portal, which foresees the creation of an interactive communication portal, with educational and promotional campaigns, and Cidade Livre de Pirataria, which will be managed by ETCO and consists of the municipalization of the fight against illegal trade through partnerships with municipalities to develop actions against counterfeiting. cation of products.
PIRACY FREE CITY
One of the five strategic priority projects that will guide the National Council to Combat Piracy (CNCP) is Cidade Livre de Pirataria, managed by ETCO. The project's main objective is to municipalize the fight against piracy through partnerships with city halls to create local mechanisms for preventing and suppressing illegal trade. Five municipalities will be invited to participate in the pilot project: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Ribeirão Preto and Curitiba.
“By the end of this year, these five cities will help us, based on their experiences, to build a set of good practices based on the three main pillars that make up the CNCP's line of action: prevention, inspection and education”, explains Patrícia Blanco, executive director of ETCO. The entire preparation of the project is being carried out under the CNCP with the support of the Executive Secretariat.
The management of Cidade Livre de Pirataria is the responsibility of ETCO. According to the executive president, André Montoro, the Council is now starting a new major challenge: “The formulation and implementation, through the partnership of public entities with the private sector, of a series of activities that, it should be noted, are already the fruit of a common effort, as they were collectively defined in the process of preparing the council's strategic planning ”.
Revised ETCO (No. 13, August 2009)
