Source: O Globo Online - Rio de Janeiro / RJ - 17/12/2010

RIO - The Disque Antipirataria, service created by the State Legislative Assembly (Alerj) to receive denunciations and complaints about the commercialization of pirated products in Rio de Janeiro received, during the year, a total of 478 denunciations. The irregular products most cited by the complainants were CDs, DVDs, sporting goods and medicines.

According to the president of the Alerj Anti-Piracy Commission, deputy Dionísio Lins, the State of Rio de Janeiro today loses about R $ 20 billion in revenue per year due to informality, failing to generate approximately 18 thousand new jobs.

To try to raise awareness and guide consumers at the time of purchase, in addition to showing that the acquisition of counterfeit products is considered a crime, the Alerj Anti-Piracy Commission carried out during the year about 120 educational campaigns with the distribution of the Eye Live - Say No to booklet Piracy in several neighborhoods in the city. Commission technicians were also in public and private schools, in order to prepare young consumers and encourage debates on the subject.

- The number of pirated products sold in the city of Rio has been increasing. There are toys, clothes, electronic products, lamps and sneakers sold without any type of certification, which harms the legalized trade - points out Dionísio Lins.

Shopping time tips

According to the Anti-Piracy Commission, consumers should pay attention to the following tips to avoid buying counterfeit products.

In the case of toys, it is essential that those responsible pay attention to details, such as the printing on the packaging of the child's age for which the product is intended, the assembly instructions and the Inmetro seal. If the toy is imported, the product information must be in Portuguese.

When buying clothes, the consumer needs to observe if the pieces are printed with the textile composition and the washing method, avoiding future losses.

The Antipiracy Dial is open from Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 17 pm, and calls 0800.282.6582.