The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Torquato Jardim, received, this Wednesday afternoon (7), the executive president of the Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition (ETCO), Edson Vismona, and answered the request to reactivate the Combat Management Committee Cargo Theft. The committee is part of the National Council to Combat Piracy, which will return to activity on March 14.

The minister said he was impressed with the news that Hewlett Packard do Brasil (HP Computers) suffered R $ 10 million in losses when two trucks were stolen on the roads of Medina (MG) and Resende (RJ). The theft would have led the company's command to reflect on staying in Brazil, according to ETCO officials.

“The Federal Government carries out an operation called Égide, led by the Federal Highway Police, which sets up a siege from the border, passing through the access roads to Rio de Janeiro. On federal roads, cargo theft has dropped by 70% since we started. But on state roads, performance is less than half that, ”said Jardim.

The Steering Committee to Combat Cargo Theft brings together representatives of the government and the private sector to plan actions together against this type of crime. The business community claims to have news of large international investment funds that have been reluctant to acquire Brazilian companies precisely because of insecurity in the transportation of goods across the country.

At the meeting, the president of the Association for Industry and Sports Trade, Marina Carvalho, also asked the minister for support for the vote on bill number 333/99, which is about to be voted on in the Chamber of Deputies. It equals the penalties provided for crimes of counterfeiting and copyright infringement. “These are similar crimes, with different penalties. This ends up hampering the application of our intellectual property laws ”, he complained. The minister agreed to help.

According to ETCO officials, the counterfeits caused Brazil to lose 10% of the world market for knitwear and 23% of the global market for tennis. Torquato Jardim said that the defense of intellectual property will receive special attention from the Ministry of Justice after the reactivation of the National Council to Combat Piracy.