Folha de São Paulo, 04/03/2005

Most of the proposals for the National Plan to Combat Piracy, presented last weekend to the Federal Government, were accepted. The suggestions came from the Permanent National Forum of Entities against Piracy and Illegality.

With this, the plan - which will last for two years - should recommend to the Judiciary the creation of Courts specialized in intellectual property, and also to the States to install specialized police stations to deal with the problem.

In the area of ​​education, the program suggests that universities include the topic in the curriculum of courses, especially in law. If the suggestion is accepted, the matter may also be part of the examinations of the Brazilian Bar Association.

“Civil society had a great participation in the plan, as it has the suggestion of countless entities, representatives of unions and citizens. I believe that this is already a big step towards a more effective fight against this type of organized crime ”, affirmed André de Almeida, legal consultant at BSA (Business Software Alliance).

Forum meetings, open to the public, will continue to take place monthly, at locations and dates to be defined. For more information about the meetings, write to acruz@almeidalaw.com.br.