The organized crime X the true entrepreneurs

            In a different afternoon, in full year 2004, in the seat of the Trade, Industrial and Services Association of Novo Hamburgo, Campo Bom and Estancia Velha, a group of entrepreneurs which own highlighted trademarks of the footwear segment has decided to stop the negative statistics which were growing and the forebodings created by the trade underworld of the modern piracy.
            The footwear illegal copy market growth, the violation of the industrial secrets, the smuggling and the under invoicing of the import imposed so many accumulated losses to such group, that only the creation of a powerful antidote, originated from the union of everyone, seemed to provide a concrete alternative in order to struggle with the setting of the bad news, in the way that it was presented at that time.
            Thus, it is created the Footwear Anti-piracy Committee, linked to the vice-presidency of industry of the entity.
            In these about four years of activity, the Committee has created its own mission, and has developed, because of the absence of any similar model in the world, its own shape. The experience has teach the entrepreneurs themselves that, in addition to being great leaders in their business, they could act for defending their marks in the field of repression as well as I the fields of education and prevention of crimes and piracy.
            The Committee has initiated the work with the study and mapping of the main piracy pole producers which were located in Brazilian territory.
            In addition to the founding marks, the group also counted on the representation of Abicalçados among their partners, searching for institutional synergism of the actions and strategies regarding to the subject.
            With such integration, we participated in the proposal of specific Law projects for a bigger rigidity for punishing the transgressor, and in order to effectively oust Law projects, such as the Provisory Measure 380/ 07, also known as the “Law of the Sacoleiros (bag carriers) from Paraguay”.
            A sequence of delations and efforts to bring clarity to the general public, through products exhibition, called “The Face of Piracy” at the main fairs of the national footwear segment, in which original products are exhibited together with fake produiots that were arrested. A success of public.
            The group have sponsored and supported the project “Escolegal”, implanted in schools of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in which students have contact, in the classroom, with the damages of the consumption of fake and smuggled products.
            The Committee has also a role of being a member of the Interinstitutional Committee Against Piracy of Rio Grande do Sul, which the seat is in the Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Sul.
            Together with the Brazilian Federal Police, Federal Highway Patrol, Secretary of Safety of the State of RS, in addition to the Public Ministry, it has policies and strategies which can reprehend criminal groups, producers, distributors and consumers of piracy. This is such an unique experience, because it put together the visions of the public and private forces for the development of repression and intelligence strategies.
            The damages that come from piracy suffocate and harm several work placements. From the footwear manufacture, research and development segment to the marketing and the points of sale, every professional and companies are unfairly reached.
            In this fight, the forger, the distributor and the end user of piracy are criminal. There is no justification that can prevent any social class from the piracy consumption, as well as there is no social rule that can forgive them for the mistake of the use of a piracy costume.
            You can be absolutely sure that fighting against piracy is to have a position in behalf of ethics. It is such ethics that every citizen daily demand to public and political institution of this country!

Marco Aurelio Kirsh is lawyer and Manager of Institutional Relation
of the Trade, Industrial and Services Association of Novo Hamburgo,

Campo Bom and Estância Velha (ACI-NH/CB/EV).