“The face of piracy” at Couromoda

An unprecedented action by the National Council to Combat Piracy and Crimes against Intellectual Property (CNCP) moved the Couromoda fair, held at the Anhembi Exhibition Pavilion, in São Paulo, between January 16th and 19th. For the first time, the issue of combating piracy and illegal trade was brought to 85 thousand visitors to the largest shoe and accessory fair in the Americas.

CNCP participated in the event, with a 34 m stand2, at the invitation of the Association of Traders and Industrial Servers of Novo Hamburgo, Campo Bom and Estância Velha (ACI), the organization of Couromoda and the Brazilian Association of Footwear Industries (Abicalçados).

With the exhibition “A Face da Pirataria”, during the four days of Couromoda, the Council exposed the importance of consuming original products, with the aim of showing participating entrepreneurs the comparison of counterfeit, pirated and original products. In addition, the public had access to information on operations to repress and combat piracy, carried out throughout the Brazilian territory.

The CNCP stand also had the participation of the Antipiracy Association of Cinema and Music (APCM), the Brand Protection Group (BPG) and the Brazilian Association of Software Companies (ABES).

With 3.000 exhibiting brands, Couromoda ended this year's edition with 85 visits from retailers, importers, industrialists and other professionals in the leather / footwear production chain. These numbers represent 41 thousand unique visitors, coming from 60 countries, packed by a 7% growth in the consumption of shoes in the Brazilian market in 2011 (about 780 million pairs). According to the organizers of the event, the domestic market remains heated and the business conducted during the fair grew by 10%.

 

CNCP gathers judges to discuss piracy

Between October 13 and 15, magistrates from all over the country participated, in Foz do Iguaçu, in the XNUMXst International Seminar to Combat Piracy, an unprecedented initiative by the National Council to Combat Piracy and Offenses against Intellectual Property (CNCP) and the National School of Magistracy. State court judges debated the application of legislation that protects copyright, trademarks and intellectual property, by analyzing laws and discussing court jurisprudence, with the aim of improving the protection system in Brazil.

The event was the first international seminar held by CNCP, with the presence of French and Brazilian judges. According to information from the organization, France has differentiated legislation from Brazil on the subject, and the exchange of ideas is essential to enrich the Brazilian strategy.

“We have to deepen the debates on the legislative framework around intellectual property rights and learn about the main jurisprudence of the courts so that we can improve them”, said the President of the CNCP, Paulo Abrão.

The schedule also included visits by judges to various entry areas for counterfeit and counterfeit pirated products, such as the Friendship Bridge, the seized vehicle yard, Lake Itaipu, the Paraná River and the Federal Revenue Deposits.

Representatives of the Federal Police, the Federal Revenue Service, the Interministerial Group on Intellectual Property (GIPI), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), the Ministry of Industry and Trade Development (MDIC), the Brand Protection Group also participated in the event. , from the Brazilian Institute of Competitive Ethics (ETCO) and Anvisa.

In his presentation, the Chief Executive of ETCO, Roberto Abdenur, addressed the causes and consequences of the competitive imbalance in the country. “The success of productive activities and economic growth depend on institutions, rules, uses and customs that provide the appropriate incentives. Failure to comply with rules and legal obligations creates competition imbalances, increases investment risks, and reduces growth, ”he declared. Abdenur was succeeded by Rodrigo Moraes, representative of the ETCO Chamber of Smoke, who presented figures on competitive inequality in the sector.

During and after the seminar, several judges and judges explained the importance that the issues presented will have in their work going forward, showing concern with the magnitude of the problem and satisfaction with the work carried out by public and private entities in the fight against piracy in Brazil.

As a concrete result, the CNCP reported that there was a manifestation by the magistrates to propose to the National Association of Magistrates of Brazil (AMAB) to request a seat at the CNCP, so that the Judiciary can also be an active party in the fight against piracy.

At the close, representatives of the National School of Magistrates stated that, if it is possible for the CNCP, the matter will become part of the annual course calendar.

Authorities debate fight against piracy and smuggling in the Federal Police

Seminar combating piracy and evasion took place this Thursday (30/06), at the Federal Police Superintendence in São Paulo

The event, organized by the Ministry of Justice and the City of São Paulo, brought together authorities from the Ministry of Justice, Secretaries of Public Security, Urban Security, Public Ministry, Civil Police, Military Police, Metropolitan Civil Guard, Subprefectures, National Forum to Combat Piracy, Brand Protection Entities (BPG), National Forum against Piracy (FNCP) and Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition (ETCO), among others.

The board was composed by Dr. Ana Lúcia Soares Executive Secretary of the National Council for Combating Piracy (CNCP) of the Ministry of Justice; Edsom Ortega, Municipal Secretary for Urban Security and Executive Secretary of GGI-M; delegate Inacy Grelhana, from the Federal Police; Dr. Ândrea Cristina Pimentel, representing the Secretary for Public Security; Ambassador Roberto Abdenur, president of ETCO; Edson Vismona, president of the National Forum to Combat Piracy.

During the opening of the event, Secretary Edsom Ortega gave an account of the 16 integrated operations to combat piracy, which began in the city of São Paulo in December last year and of the six that are underway in the Pamplona, ​​Monti Mare, Mundo Oriental shopping centers , March 25, Senador Queirós and Feira da Madrugada. “These establishments are undergoing rigorous inspection in all their stores and documentation, and operating licenses may be revoked and activities closed. On the other hand, establishments that do not have licenses may be definitively prevented from re-operating, if it is proven that smuggled, pirated and doubtful products are commercialized. They will work again if they demonstrate concrete measures to prevent such crimes ”, said the Secretary. This decision by the Security Office is part of the expansion of the rigor in combating these crimes and the penal framework of those responsible for such practices.

The Secretary highlighted serious aspects during the operations: intimidation, threats and attempted solicitation in relation to the agents. "Do not accept intimidation, we are acting based on the law". He also mentioned the balance of seizures, which from December 2010 until now is 25 million items, in the estimated amount of R $ 1,2 billion. The goods are stored in City Hall, Police and Federal Revenue warehouses and inquiries and investigations are being processed by the Civil Police, the Federal Revenue Service and other bodies as required.

Dr. Ana Lucia explained about other crimes that existed behind the trade in counterfeit products, such as the exploitation of slave labor, in addition to human trafficking. She also stressed the importance of integrated actions and praised everyone's work for the successful fight against piracy and smuggling.

The president of the National Forum to Combat Piracy, Edson Vismona, pointed out that the amount of products seized during operations to combat piracy is surprising and that the work of GCM and other partners is heroic. He highlighted the commercial interest behind the sale of illegal products and the drop in the collection of Municipal, State and Federal Public Authorities.

For Prosecutor Dr. Eliana Vendramim, from the State Prosecutor's Office - GAECO: Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime, meetings like this are important to gather organizations against the crime of smuggling, embezzlement, among other things. “A crime that, in addition to causing harm to the country, with tax evasion, trafficking in human beings, as we found in shopping malls on March 25 - where several Chinese were trafficked to work as slaves, without any rights. The other problem is the cultural one. The culture of a people that buys products and has no idea, that is fueling organized crime ”. The prosecutor also congratulated the work of the Metropolitan Civil Guard on the task force.

At the Seminar, several experts and authorities explained and trained the more than 350 agents from GCM, the Subprefectures and the police present to identify counterfeits, software, brand watches, eyeglasses, cell phones, toys, sporting goods and bags. Luis Claudio Gare of BPG- Brand Protection Group, explained to those present, how to identify what is original and what is not and Flavio Augusto Nunes de Meirelles, from the Meirelles Institute for Intellectual Property Protection, an Association that brings together companies that manufacture and import eyeglasses celebrities revealed data from two surveys carried out by the entity with a vision specialist. According to him, 80% of the brands of sunglasses, sold in popular centers, therefore pirates, cause damage to the eyes, such as burning the pupil. Another study revealed that of the people who wear pirated glasses purchased with pre-established degrees, 70% had vision problems and warned: “anyone who wears glasses without consulting a specialist, in 10 years will have a cataract problem”.

At the end, those present received manuals with guidelines to identify non-original products and their various counterfeits. Everyone will be certified.

Projects and Initiatives

Electronic invoice

We contributed to the design, implementation and improvement of the Electronic Invoice project, which began to take effect in 2006. The System improved inspection, reduced tax evasion and reduced costs for tax authorities and companies.

Inspection Support Systems

We help to develop mechanisms to control the manufacture of products with high tax evasion power, such as the Beverage Production Control System (Sicobe) and the Cigarette Production Control and Tracking System (Scorpios).

Member of CNCP - National Council for Combating Piracy and Intellectual Property Offenses

The National Council for Combating Piracy and Offenses against Intellectual Property (CNCP), a collegiate and advisory body of the Ministry of Justice, aims to develop guidelines for the formulation and proposition of a national plan to combat piracy, its tax evasion. arising and offenses against intellectual property.

Underground Economy Index

ETCO believes that knowing the size of the problem is critical to tackling it. Much is said, but little is known about informality, piracy and evasion, as, as illegal activities, they are difficult to measure. In a pioneering initiative, ETCO, together with the Brazilian Institute of Economics of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (IBRE-FGV), annually publishes the Underground Economy Index, a study that estimates the values ​​of activities deliberately not declared to public authorities with the purpose of evading taxes.

To learn more about the Shadow Economy Index, click here

Simplification of the Tax System

Convinced that the complexity of the Brazilian tax system is one of the factors that encourage tax evasion, ETCO has contributed with concrete suggestions for greater efficiency in the payment, inspection and tax collection system. Among these proposals are the federal, state and municipal cadastral unification; the principle of full anteriority, with main ancillary obligations defined until June 30 of the previous year, subject to regulatory taxes; and the simplification of procedures for registration and registration of companies.

Special taxation regimes

One of ETCO's suggestions culminated in the promulgation of Article 146-A, resulting from Constitutional Amendment No. 42/2003. The article foresees that States, the Federal District and municipalities, in addition to the Union, institute differentiated taxation systems in order to prevent competitive imbalances caused by the actions of individuals who use the reduction of their tax costs to gain spurious competitive advantages. ETCO acts with a view to the enactment of a complementary law, essential for the application of the article.

Union of forces for the legal market

We created, in partnership with the National Forum to Combat Piracy (FNCP), the Movement in Defense of the Brazilian Legal Market, which joins forces to act in a coordinated manner in the fight against smuggling, piracy, fraud and counterfeiting of products and defends border control actions. The Movement has the support of 70 entities. Within the scope of cities, also in partnership with the FNCP, we created the Legality Movement, which unites forces between civil society, city halls, the Federal Revenue Service, the Federal Police, parliament, state agencies and the National Front of Mayors to fight, effectively and forcefully the illegal market in Brazilian cities.

Studies, seminars and publications

We sponsor dozens of research, events and books on topics related to ethics, including the Culture of Transgressions in Brazil series, which brings together contributions from great Brazilian thinkers, including the sociologist and former President of the Republic Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

International operations

We are members of committees that fight transnational illicit practices that provoke unfair competition. In 2016, we joined the Latin American Anti-Smuggling Alliance (ALAC), which brings together civil society entities and government agencies from 15 Latin American nations in the search for joint actions to stop smuggling in the region; in 2017, we started to act in this direction also with the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Recognition of ethical companies

We are part of the management committee of Pró-Ética, a recognition program for companies committed to ethics in their relations with the public sector. Pró-Ética was created in 2010 by the Ministry of Transparency, Inspection and Controllership-General of the Union (CGU) in partnership with the Ethos Institute.

Ethics for young people

To strengthen the ethical principles in the training of Brazilian students, we created the Ethics for Young People project. The initiative developed and made available to high school teachers, at the address www.eticaparajovens.com.br, a series of pedagogical activities to deal with the theme with its students in a pleasant and engaging way, stimulating critical thinking.