From left to right: Edson Vismona (FNCP), Roberto Abdenur (ETCO), Paulo Abrão (CNCP), Emidio de Souza (Mayor) and José Amando Mota (Secretary of Security)

Last Friday, March 9, the mayor of Osasco, Emídio de Souza, and the national secretary of Justice and president of the National Council to Combat Piracy and Crimes Against Intellectual Property (CNCP), Paulo Abrão Pires Júnior, signed agreement that includes the city in the Free City of Piracy 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, Distrito Federal and Belo Horizonte and is in an advanced stage of talks. with other capitals in the country.

According to Paulo Abrão, the partnership is an acknowledgment by the Ministry of Justice for conducting the city, in matters involving the fight against illegal trade. “I would like to make it clear that our project does not aim to criminalize the consumer. It is a work of awareness, showing mainly to people that piracy is linked to other types of crime, such as drug, arms and even human trafficking ”.

The mayor also highlighted the importance of the agreement for the city and its population. “I do not believe in a municipality, state or country that lives outside the law. Democracy requires that the field of legality be well demarcated, ”he said. After signing, the authorities went to the front of the Municipal Palace, where a steamroller passed over 280 pirated items, mostly CDs and DVDs that were seized in recent months. After being unusable, the products were sent to the city's recycling centers.

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.

In addition to Osasco, the Cidade Livre de Pirataria program has four other participating capitals - São Paulo, Curitiba, Distrito Federal and Belo Horizonte. “The expectation is to end 2012 with at least four other major cities, a number that may be even greater, considering that this program should involve all the cities that will host the World Cup,” explains Roberto Abdenur, ETCO's chief executive. , whose main mission in the dissemination of the program is as manager appointed by CNCP.