Source: Correio do Povo - Porto Alegre / RS - 05/07/2010

Advertising pamphlets confiscated in blitze since June 2008 were among the unusable material

The inspectors from the Municipal Secretariat of Production, Industry and Commerce (Smic) destroyed more than 24 cigarette bags and photo albums from piracy on Monday morning. The products were discarded in a unit of the Municipal Department of Urban Cleaning (DMLU), in Lomba do Pinheiro, east of Porto Alegre. Among the destroyed material were thousands of advertising pamphlets confiscated in blitze in the central area and in neighborhoods of the city since June 2008. “Illegal smuggling and piracy seem to have no end”, commented the Surveillance and Licensing Coordinator of the Area for Vendors from Smic, Walter Souza Corrêa. He recalled that, less than 30 days ago, more than 80 pirated DVDs and CDs were damaged, in addition to 5,6 glasses. "After that, in 25 days, we seized more than 10 CDs and DVDs and 600 glasses in actions developed in the Center and on Avenida Assis Brasil", he stressed.

Operations against illegal street vendors, who operate in hiding, have been frequent. Despite the effectiveness of the work developed daily, Corrêa believes that if there were an increase in the number of inspectors, the results would be even more productive. Of the 40 inspectors under his coordination, only 24 work directly to combat illegal activity and piracy. The others act in the control of the warehouse where the seized goods are stored and in the inspection of fairs and fruit gardens. The work would be less exhausting and even more efficient if Corrêa had a hundred inspectors at his disposal.

“What favors us is the agreement with the 9th BPM, which provides around 20 PMs to accompany us in the blitzes developed in the central area”, he stressed. In the neighborhoods, although there are no formalized partnerships, the commanders of the other units linked to the Capital Policing Command (CPC) also support the inspectors spontaneously. Corrêa appeals to society to avoid buying counterfeit products. “By acting in this way, consumers end up encouraging piracy,” he said.

Corrêa revealed that a group of ten men has been harming people on Rua Voluntários da Pátria, on the stretch between Senhor dos Passos and Pinto Bandeira streets. They sell CDs and DVs of music and cinema releases, at varying prices. Customers, however, end up taking home nothing but a blank CD or DVD. "And when they go to complain they usually don't find the vendor who sold the product and, if they find it, they end up convinced that their equipment has reading problems", he explained.

He regretted that many people who, even though aware of the impacts on the Brazilian economy, prefer to buy pirated products because they are more affordable. According to the Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization), Brazil moves between R $ 60 billion and R $ 70 billion with pirated trade. The Ministry of Justice projects that, due to piracy, Brazil stops creating two million formal jobs per year.

Source: Luciamem Winck / Correio do Povo