By Roberto Abdenur

Globalization, the result of technological advances of widespread economic growth in the international expansion of large companies, has proven to be one of the most effective ways to consolidate a fairer business environment worldwide. It's simple: business transactions between countries must follow procedures that can only be covered by companies that have their activities regularized.

Brazil, with a strong and growing economy, has an industry that increasingly uses Information Technology (IT) as an important asset and business differential. In the country, not only is the use of IT growing, but also the development and manufacture of hardware and software.

While Brazil and other emerging countries become both IT consumers and granaries, the United States has taken an important step towards fostering an environment favorable to the performance of companies that observe and comply with rules regarding the use of information technology. information in its operations.

As an example of this movement, the American states of Washington and Louisiana recently adopted specific laws in the IT sector, classifying as unfair competition the sale of products from industries whose IT base is not properly licensed, thus gaining competitiveness through irregular practices. . In addition, there is the possibility of more comprehensive application of general unfair competition laws, previously in force, to achieve the same purpose, that is, to require that manufacturers who sell products or components are in full compliance with IT licenses in their operations. , which implies the need to use only properly licensed computer programs.

In more than 30 American states, the equivalent of the local prosecutor's office has expressed its commitment to enforcing unfair competition laws in force, to prevent unfair competition in the manufacturing segment based on unlicensed use of IT. It is, indeed, a measure aimed at preventing companies of any origin from benefiting from illegal practices in order to obtain cost reductions based on the use of computer programs without proper licenses, competing unfairly with companies that act responsibly in the management of its IT parks. In the same way as tax evasion, or non-compliance with regulatory or labor standards, the use of irregular software can also generate a fraudulent and illegal reduction in operating expenses, which results in market distortion and clear unfair competition.

This movement can and should be seen as an opportunity by emerging countries, especially the BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India and China. It means, above all, an opportunity for Brazil.

Explains yourself. According to the 2010 IDC-BSA Global Software Piracy Study, released in May 2011 by the Business Software Alliance, among the countries that form the BRICS, Brazil has the lowest rate of software piracy, 54%. The highest index is that of China, with 78%, followed by Russia, with 65%, and India, with 64%. Although Brazil is a long way from economies with low rates of illegal IT use, whose average rates are around 30%, among the BRICS, it is the country with the greatest chance of reaching these rates and expanding the competitiveness of its industry in global trade.

The effort is for a positive agenda. And that is possible. Even before the new US unfair competition laws, several countries managed to reduce the rates of IT piracy with measures to encourage the use of licensed software, showing users that the original product gives them guarantees or curbing the practice of using a pirated product. . Finally, to disseminate the recognition that licensed software is better than pirated software, also because it is more secure and more reliable. In Brazil, where a series of federal, state and municipal laws regulate the matter, the reduction in the software piracy rate between 2005 and 2010 was 10 percentage points, according to the BSA study.

The decrease in software piracy results in many benefits. Experts estimate, for example, that a 10 percentage point reduction would inject more than R $ 250 billion into global economic activity in four years, creating about 500 jobs and generating close to R $ 60 billion in taxes for governments.

We believe that a new reading of the US unfair competition laws - not to mention the Brazilian ones mentioned above - represents an opportunity to increase the use of legalized IT structures throughout the manufacturing sector, establish respect for intellectual property in our country and, with this, we expand the possibilities of development of our economy. Today, the United States is the main export destination for sectors such as metallurgy, mechanics, wood, non-metallic minerals and footwear. The establishment of internal IT legalization policies in companies in these and other segments will certainly differentiate them in the global business environment.

The benefits of using a legalized IT structure for companies are clear: the creation of a fairer and more aligned market for all manufacturers, differentiation from national and international competitors in accessing the important American market, improved reputation with partners international agreements, reducing the risk of legal penalties and ensuring a secure structure to support business.

For our society, the benefits will come in the form of greater innovation, the establishment of new companies and the creation of high-tech jobs. A country with the capacity to cross borders and win on the global stage.