Cidade was the 14th in the country to integrate a cooperation program against this type of crime. Work is coordinated by ETCO

The city of Santa Catarina of Blumenau signed, on September 11, the term of adhesion to the Free City of Piracy Project. The program is led by the National Council for Combating Piracy, an organ of the Ministry of Justice, and coordinated by ETCO-Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition. Blumenau is the 14th Brazilian city and the first Santa Catarina city to join the project, whose objective is to coordinate the action of the various public agencies with attributions related to this type of crime.

According to Mayor Napoleão Bernardes, membership should benefit the municipality and its population. "It is very important to promote awareness, appreciation and respect for the rules to form a society more attentive to rights and duties, in addition to contributing economically to the development of the municipality," he said at the event.

ETCO's executive director, Heloísa Ribeiro, was present at the ceremony. “The adhesion of the mayors is fundamental for the effectiveness of the fight against piracy”, says Heloísa. “Coordinating this project is an extremely important mission for the Institute”.

Soon after the ceremony, the first meeting was held between the National, State and Municipal Councils to Combat Piracy. The integration between the different levels of government is one of the aspects considered fundamental for the success of the Program in the cities where it has been implemented until today.

The occasion also marked the destruction of pirated products seized in the city and the delivery of certificates to the winners of the 4th National Award to Combat Piracy (see here).