Brazil Seizes US$ 761 Million in Pirated Goods

In the first half of 2004, Brazil’s Federal Revenue agency seized approximately US$ 761 million (1.8 billion reais) in counterfeit products.

This figures appears in the first report on the activities of the Ministry of Justice’s National Council to Combat Piracy and Intellectual Property Violations (CNCP).


The secretary of the Federal Revenue agency, Jorge Rachid, said that the agency carried out over 600 operations in the country in the first semester alone.


According to the president of the Council, Luiz Paulo Barreto, it is estimated that this kind of illegal activity causes around US$ 30 billion in annual losses to Brazil in terms of tax revenues.


But, according to Rachid, there are no precise figures on how much the country loses as a result of piracy. “These amounts are frequently understated,” he said.


Following the presentation of the report, the Minister of Justice, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, said that Brazil’s efforts to combat piracy have been recognized by countries interested in deterring this practice, such as the United States.


“The job that is being done here is a strong, organized effort involving a whole network, and I am sure it will be successful,” he said.


“Sometimes a populist argument arises in favor of piracy, claiming that it creates jobs. It doesn’t. It eliminates job, because it practices tax evasion and deprives the State of the opportunity to attain its true goals,” the Minister concluded.


Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil Adds 4 Million US-made Female Condoms to Its AIDS-fighting Arsenal

The Brazilian Ministry of Health has ordered 4 million FC Female Condom from Chicago-based ...

Brazil Getting Ready to Go to Space in 2006

In an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti, the President of the Brazilian ...

Brazil’s Banner Crop and a US$ 85 Billion Bonanza

Brazil farmers are expected to receive a record US$ 85 billion this year riding ...

Brazil Gets Import Fever. Trade Balance Surplus Falls by 70%

Brazil's trade balance surplus – the difference between exports and imports – reached US$ ...

Brazil Grows 6.8% and Won’t Go in Recession, Says Minister

For the surprise of the world Brazil expanded at an annual 6.8% in the ...

Brazil’s Lula Condemns Rich Countries for Building Border Fences and Walls

In a speech Tuesday before the UN General Assembly Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula ...

Fears Over New US Fed Chief Shake Brazil’s Stock Market

Brazilian stocks sank into the red Monday, February 13, as investors anxiously awaited the ...

There Goes Brazil from Haiti and the Country’s Hopes for a UN Permanent Seat

Brazil’s leadership in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) may be coming ...

Brazil Trying to Prop Up the Falling Dollar

Brazil's currency, the real, appreciation against the dollar  is a "cause for concern," but ...

Comparing Discriminatory Policing and Social Action in Brazil and the US

The disproportionately harsh and violent treatment of African-Americans by law enforcement officials has been ...