Tag: Piracy Free City

Cuiabá and Várzea Grande will join the Free Piracy City

Source: Diário de Cuiabá - 20/09/2012

The city halls of Cuiabá and Várzea Grande, will sign an agreement with the Ministry of Justice and will join the Cidade Livre de Pirataria this Wednesday (19). The action of the National Council to Combat Piracy and Crimes against Intellectual Property (CNCP) has encouraged city halls to adopt mechanisms to confront this type of crime.

With the formalization of the agreement, in a ceremony at the headquarters of the Brazilian Bar Association - Mato Grosso Section (OAB / MT), a training course will start for about 280 public agents in Cuiabá and Várzea Grande. The course is promoted by CNCP in partnership with the National Forum Against Piracy and Illegality.

The aim of the course is to present the differences between original and counterfeit productions to public officials. Demonstrations of electronic products, medicines, CDs and DVDs, cigarettes, software, clothing, shoes and accessories are carried out, in addition to beauty products. At the workshop, participants can handle the products and see what distinguishes an original product from a counterfeit. Since 2010, nearly three thousand professionals have been trained, including municipal guards, urban control inspectors, members of commercial and business associations, civil and military police.

Cidade Livre de Pirataria is managed by the Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition (ETCO) and is part of the National Plan to Combat Piracy, launched in 2009 by the Ministry of Justice. So far, São Paulo and Osasco (SP), Brasília (DF), Curitiba (PR), Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and Belo Horizonte (MG) have joined the project. (Advisory / Ministry of Justice).

Course teaches how to identify piracy

Source: Diário de Cuiabá - 20/09/2012  

Auto parts, cigarettes, fuels, hygiene and cleaning materials and fashion items are copied and represent a health risk

Without the presence of a representative of the municipal administration of Cuiabá, the National Council for Combating Piracy and Offenses against Intellectual Property (CNCP) presented yesterday in the capital of Mato Grosso the project “Cidade Livre de Pirataria”, a practice considered criminal and which represents tax evasion of around $ 20 billion annually. 


In the list of pirated products you have everything. Among those with the highest number are auto parts, cigarettes, fuels, cleaning and hygiene materials and fashion items. But they still have DVDs, CDs, glasses and medicine. "In addition to brutal tax evasion, they are products that are harmful to consumer health and safety," warned Edson Vismona, president of the National Forum to Combat Piracy (FNCP).

An even greater risk when it comes to drugs. In the country, the fake or unregistered medicine market generates around R $ 13 billion or 30% of the total sold annually. The most targeted are those of high consumption, such as those of erectile dysfunction, obesity and anti-inflammatory drugs. However, they do not have a desired effect or can bring lethal substances.

Some products, such as video games, the illegality rate is 80%. "It does not meet Brazilian technical standards and feeds smuggling and embezzlement," he said. In the case of computers, there has been a reduction since 2005. The percentage of illegality dropped from 74% that year to 22% today.

In a partnership with the Ministry of Justice, the program encourages city halls to adopt mechanisms to combat and confront this type of crime. Yesterday, in the capital, 280 public agents from the Capital and Várzea Grande participated in a course, which among other subjects, addressed the differences between the original and counterfeit productions.

“Our interest is in the development of the municipality. Piracy does not generate development, does not generate formal employment, financial stability and does not give holidays or an INSS guarantee ”, the secretary of Urban Development of Várzea Grande, Flávia Moretti. In the city, one of the first actions to be developed will be awareness raising.

As in Várzea Grande, the sale of pirated products takes place in the open in the capital. Among the main ones are pirated DVDs and CDs. “I already bought it and I think almost everyone has already done it. The originals are much more expensive and the pirates are getting better, ”said Sandra Correa, 45.

The “Cidade Livre de Pirataria” is managed by the Brazilian Institute of Competitive Ethics (ETCO) and is part of the National Plan to Combat Piracy, launched in 2009 by the Ministry of Justice. Until then, São Paulo and Osasco (SP), Brasília (DF), Curitiba (PR), Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and Belo Horizonte (MG) joined the project.

Cuiabá and Várzea Grande join national program to combat piracy

With the signing of the agreement, the Ministry of Justice's Cidade Livre de Piratação program now has eight municipalities

 

São Paulo, September 17, 2012 - The fight against piracy in the country will gain an important reinforcement next Wednesday, September 19, with the signing of an agreement, by the city halls of Cuiabá and Várzea Grande, for entry into Cidade Livre de Pirataria, program of the National Council for Combat to Piracy and Offenses against Intellectual Property (CNCP) of the Ministry of Justice, coordinated by the Brazilian Institute of Competition Ethics (ETCO). In both cities, the program will have a partnership with OAB / MT, through the Commission on Intellectual Property and Copyright.

In addition to signing the agreement, the program will include training for the training of public agents in Cuiabá and Várzea Grande. Heloisa Ribeiro, executive director of ETCO, explains that, since 2009, the Institute has been working on the dissemination of the Cidade Livre de Pirataria program, which is already implemented in the cities of São Paulo, Curitiba, Distrito Federal, Belo Horizonte, Osasco and Rio de Janeiro, with the objective of encouraging the fight against illegal trade.

The executive director of ETCO is very optimistic about the entry of Cuiabá and Várzea Grande in the program. “The training, together with the signing of the agreement, demonstrates agility and, above all, interest in combating this serious problem that affects Brazilian society”, he comments. In this sense, she highlights the support of the OAB / MT Intellectual Property and Copyright Commission. “Counting on civil society organizations is fundamental to the success of the program, and the support of the OAB / MT was decisive for the implementation of the agreement,” explains Heloisa.

The president of the OAB / MT Intellectual Property and Copyright Commission, Geraldo Macedo, explains that the target audience for the training are public agents who deal directly with situations involving the search and seizure of illegal products. “Military, civil, federal and federal police officers, as well as criminal experts, municipal guards and other interested parties, are invited. The team that will provide the training is highly trained. Each area will have a speaker with deep knowledge of the products highlighted in the program ”, emphasizes the lawyer.

Organized by the National Forum Against Piracy and Illegality (FNCP), the seminar has practical classes for the recognition of products that may be targets of piracy, such as electronics and cell phones, glasses and watches, cigarettes, software, footwear, sports materials, toys, among others.

 

 

Preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

On June 19, Brazil signed a technical cooperation agreement with FIFA to work on strategies to protect brands and products related to games in the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. To combat the trade in counterfeit products, CNCP, under the coordination of ETCO, has already implemented the Cidade Livre de Pirataria project in six municipalities: São Paulo, Brasília, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, Osasco and Rio de Janeiro. The goal is that by the end of 2013, all host cities for the games will have the Free City of Piracy program.

 

About ETCO

The Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition, ETCO, is a civil society organization of public interest (OSCIP) founded in 2003 with the aim of identifying, discussing, proposing and supporting actions, practices and projects that result in a concrete improvement of the business environment in Brazil. To this end, it acts to influence decision makers to adopt measures aimed at reducing tax evasion, illegal trade and informality, in addition to actions to simplify the tax system and fight corruption and other misconduct. The institute seeks to maintain a strong presence in the Brazilian business and political circles in order to create mechanisms and tools that strengthen competitive ethics. There are three action strategies: to foster studies on the factors that encourage these deviations in conduct; propose and support initiatives, actions or changes in legal texts and administrative practices; develop and support actions to raise public awareness about the harmful social and economic effects and the dangers of these illegalities and social leniency towards these deviations from ethical behavior.

 

Lúcia Guimaraes - luciaguimaraes@rp1.com.br

Bruno Costa - brunocosta@rp1.com.br

Rodrigo Palomino - rodrigopalomino@rp1.com.br

Marcia Glogowski - marciaglogowski@rp1.com.br

 

RP1 Communication

Tel: 11 5501-4655

www.rp1.com.br

 

September / 2012

Combating piracy in São Paulo is a reference for the United States

The Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, Janet Napolitano, visited the City of São Paulo and followed the balance of integrated actions carried out in the city, which resulted in the seizure of 70 million illegal products valued at R $ 2 billion.

Received by the mayor of São Paulo, Gilberto Kassab, on July 12, the secretary learned details of the work carried out by the Integrated Security Management Office in the fight against piracy, smuggling and tax evasion in the city, coordinated by the Urban Security Secretariat. During the meeting, she proposed, on behalf of the American government, to deepen and formalize relations with the City of São Paulo, mainly in relation to security, tourism and trade issues.

One of the most important results of the meeting was the establishment of a direct dialogue with the authorities in Brazil, in order to work together on actions to combat illegal trade and the exchange of information, experiences and best practices.

The objective is to improve the work carried out in the municipality, which has become a reference for other cities in Brazil, establishing cooperation between the American government and the Committee to Combat Piracy, Smuggling and Tax Evasion. The actions include specialized training with agents who will go to the USA and American professionals who will come to São Paulo. The federal government, through the Federal Revenue Service and the Federal Police, will also participate in the understandings.

For Janet Napolitano, “São Paulo's commitment to fighting piracy is fantastic, considering the damage that illegal products cause to the public that consumes them. The volume of seizures, of 70 million illegal products valued at more than $ 1 billion, is an example for other cities and countries ”.

The American representative warned of the problem of counterfeiting pharmaceutical products, as well as the challenges of controlling the flow of illegal products at major events, speaking of the American experience with the 1994 World Cup and the Atlanta Olympics. The City of São Paulo, through integrated actions with the partners of the Security Office, is already carrying out actions in the city, with a view to the 2014 World Cup.

Representatives of the federal government (Ministry of Justice / CNCP), ETCO, Federal Police, Federal Revenue, state (State Revenue, Civil and Military Police), municipal (Urban Security, Subprefecture and GCM) and Brands were present at the meeting and Patents, who are members of the Committee to Combat Piracy, as well as representatives of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Brazilian Mission in Brazil and the United States Consulate General in São Paulo.

São Paulo does not give up on illegal trade

After a year of intense activity, with more than 37 million illegal products seized in 67 operations coordinated by the Security Office and the Municipal Secretariat for Urban Security, the city of São Paulo demonstrates the importance of maintaining the pace to effectively dismantle the attacks on organized crime behind the illegal trade.

The consolidated figures for the operations carried out in São Paulo under the Cidade Livre de Pirataria Program, coordinated by the Security Office and the Municipal Secretariat for Urban Security, leave no doubt as to the extent of the illegality that took place in the city and in the country. Between December From 2010 to January 2011, 37 million illegal products were seized, valued at R $ 1,9 billion, in 67 operations in large establishments and shopping malls. In addition, 20 million irregular products, including counterfeit products, were seized in illegal trade actions on the streets carried out by the subprefectures with the support of the Delegated Operation and the GCM.

Despite these important results, just two operations, in January this year, were enough to realize the capacity of articulation of the agents of the illegal trade. On January 24, in the first operation of the year, held at Shopping Pamplona, ​​on Avenida Paulista, 12 stores were inspected and, in just one afternoon, XNUMX counterfeit and illegal products were seized, predominantly watches, clothing and glasses.

Two days later, a new operation was started at Shopping Galeria Family, located in Brás, next to Feira da Madrugada. In this one, the numbers, still partial, were much more significant: in 34 stores inspected, 46 thousand seized piracy products, in addition to four foreigners having been taken to the Federal Police for being illegally in the country. The completion of the operation will depend on the progress of the work of inspection by the bodies of the Security Office and the volume of seizures that are made, but to have an idea of ​​the potential volume of illegal products, the place has 230 stores, of which only 34 have been inspected so far.

“This is an extremely serious issue, as it shows how much effort is needed to dismantle these true crime professionals, who, in a short time, are able to restructure their 'businesses' and act again”, evaluates Roberto Abdenur, executive president of the ETCO.

Abdenur also stresses that the repressive approach is only one of the possible ways to combat irregularities. Education and awareness of the population; improvement of inspection conditions by municipal, state and federal agents; review of the country's tax rules and greater speed in the judicial system are, for him, several sides of the same issue. “We cannot wait for miracles, but rather act more firmly, as the São Paulo City Hall has been doing, in the spheres that compete with us”, he concludes.

 

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.

 

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Feira da Madrugada closes the 1st Phase

The Security Office, through the Municipal Secretariat of Urban Security, informs that it has completed the first stage of verification and inspection of irregularities at the Pátio do Pari Fair - Feira da Madrugada, of the Operation to Combat Piracy and Smuggling, which aimed to the inspection and verification of personal documents of storeowners and employees with a view to assessing irregularities, especially regarding trade and stock of products involved in smuggling / embezzlement, piracy / counterfeiting / counterfeiting, doubtful origin / stolen cargo, tax evasion, irregular operation and other crimes criminal, civil and administrative.

The report by the Security Office informs that 4.505 stores / box were inspected or had some type of intervention in the Operation, 24 of which are food establishments. Of the stores surveyed, 1.434 had seizures of illegal products, characterized as piracy / counterfeiting, smuggling / embezzlement, doubtful origin / cargo or establishment theft. It was found that 2.636 stores / boxes had their registration in order, with the presence of their owner and there were no products characterized as piracy / counterfeiting, or smuggling / embezzlement or of dubious origin. It was also found that 494 stores / boxes had no registration number with the municipal administration. All information was passed on to the Secretariat of Subprefectures, including stores that were not found, empty stores and that their owners did not attend.

Approximately 6.000.000 (six million) illegal products were seized, including clothing, bags, watches, toys, electronics and accessories, which were packed in sealed bags, identified by stores and quantified, as well as administrative seizures of other illegal products.

The seized illegal products were listed in transport guides, presented to the Civil Police - DEIC for the authority of the Authority that prepares the Police Reports and presides over the criminal investigations next to the Public Ministry, being kept in a deposit of the Police and the Municipality of São Paulo . Other products of administrative seizures were or may be kept in the deposit of the City Hall of the region, all equally identified according to legislation.

Products qualified as piracy / counterfeiting, which are of interest in criminal investigation, are submitted to expert examination, for the appropriate qualifications of those responsible. Products qualified as embezzlement / contraband, also listed and presented to the police authority, were sent to the City Hall deposit and those of interest for criminal investigation will be presented to the Federal Revenue Service, which will coordinate the inquiries with the Federal Police.

Products not classified as counterfeiting / piracy, embezzlement / contraband or of doubtful origin, and those that are not of interest for criminal investigation by the competent authority, will be processed administratively by the local sub-prefecture, articulated with the Security Office, always with the knowledge of the authority presiding over the police and prosecutorial investigation.

Tenants who had seized products were instructed, including by telephone 153 - where a system of questions and answers was implemented, which, if they have valid documentation of the products, may request the return through the local Subprefecture, which will forward the Technical Advisory of the Office of Security for appreciation, especially when it comes to piracy, smuggling and others of interest to criminal investigation.

3974 people were identified, of whom 3.401 were qualified. Of the 1.716 foreigners, 58 were taken to the Federal Police for serious irregularities in their documents, being notified with a deadline for regularization and some to leave the country.

Ten people, two shopkeepers, five employees and three GCMs were detained, either arrested or listed by the Metropolitan Civil Guard or the Internal Affairs Department for involvement in the theft of products, or as a result of allegations of corruption, or flagrant corruption. All cases of flagrant and denunciations with evidence were registered in the Police District. The others, without evidence, involving GCMs, are being investigated by the Internal Affairs.

The investigations related to the tax irregularities will be carried out in the second Stage of this Operation of the Security Office, which will start in the coming days, when the notes of the products sold in the stores / box will already be checked.

Tenants were and are being guided and supported by the competent bodies of the procedures they must adopt for full tax regularization, including the use of the MEI - Micro Empreendedor Individual and SIMPLES system, which is extended to tenant suppliers, so that they can supply, buy and sell products with invoices.

All information regarding the operation and seizures, as well as the indications of criminal, administrative and civil crimes, were reported to the State Public Ministry through GAECO - Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime, as well as to the Federal Public Ministry, which they will also receive from the competent bodies, including the City Hall and this Office, additional information on the evolution of the verifications and investigations.

ETCO honors Metropolitan Civil Guard

September 15 marked the 25th anniversary celebrations of the São Paulo Metropolitan Civil Guard. Among the numerous tributes received, ETCO's executive president, Roberto Abdenur, delivered a commemorative plaque to GCM commander Joel Malta de Sá, during the launch ceremony of the Commemorative Seal, which was attended by Mayor Gilberto Kassab and the municipal secretary Urban Security, Edsom Ortega.

On the occasion, Abdenur recalled “the relevant role of the GCM within the Integrated Management Committee to combat illegal trade in the city of São Paulo, managed with mastery by the Municipal Secretary of Urban Security, Edsom Ortega, in the context of the Cidade Livre de Pirataria Program, of which ETCO is proud to be the manager ”.

Also present were the Counselors of the Municipal Court of Accounts, Eurípedes Sales and Maurício Farias; the Municipal Secretaries of Legal Affairs, Claudio Lembo; Services, Drausio Barreto; Planning Rubens Chammas, by Nelson Hervey Government; the General Secretary of the Municipal Court of Accounts, Renato Tuma; councilor Edir Sales; the director of the Funeral Service, Roberto Tamura and the acting Commander of GCM Lindamir Magalhães Carneiro de Almeida; in addition to regional GCM commanders in the city, members of unions of the category (Abraguarda, Sindguarda and Associação Paulista das Guardas) and representatives of the Urban Security Secretariat.