Belo Horizonte is the fourth city to join the Cidade Livre de Pirataria
Photo: Divino Advincula
Last September 28, the mayor of Belo Horizonte, Marcio Lacerda (left in the photo), and the national secretary of Justice and president of the National Council to Combat Piracy and Crimes Against Intellectual Property (CNCP), Paulo Abrão Pires (center), signed an agreement that includes the capital of Minas Gerais in the Cidade Livre de Pirataria program. With the objective of intensifying the fight against piracy and other crimes against intellectual property, the program, which is managed by ETCO, is already implemented in São Paulo, Curitiba and the Federal District and is in an advanced stage of talks with other capitals in the country. .
When signing the term, which provides for the municipalization of repressive, educational and economic actions in relation to crime, Mayor Marcio Lacerda stressed that Brazil needs to eliminate piracy, a crime that, according to him, inhibits foreign investments in the country. combating this type of crime and other illegal activities needs cooperation between the Federal Government and state governments, city halls and society. This agreement formalizes this cooperation, which needs to be applied in the economic, social and, mainly, in education areas ”, he said.
According to secretary Paulo Abrão, "piracy is part of the culture of informal work and organized crime, a practice that affects several sectors of the economy, including medicines, which puts public health at risk," he said.
Increasingly, the program is consolidating itself as an example that the integration between the various instances of the municipal, state and federal powers linked to justice and security makes combating piracy and illegal trade, crimes deeply rooted in society and practiced mainly, more efficient. in major cities in the country.
On October 3, the São Paulo Security Office presented results of the actions to combat piracy that started after the creation of the Committee to Combat Piracy in São Paulo. The balance sheet showed that, since the end of 2010, around 34 million illegal products have been seized in 26 joint operations, in which around 5 stores / box have been inspected and seized. “These are expressive results that we are keen to present to each city we visit in order to implement Cidade Livre”, points out Roberto Abdenur, ETCO's executive president, whose main mission is to disseminate the program as the manager appointed by CNCP.
