2014-04-04
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Brazil and the European Union have initiated a joint action aiming to seize counterfeit sporting goods brought in from abroad for the 2014 Fifa World Cup. The first step was to hold a seminar in São Paulo, between 19-21 March, with representatives from customs authorities in seven Latin American countries (Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Paraguay and Panama). Also participating in the action, entitled Goal 14, and which has the sponsorship of the EU-Brazil Sector Dialogues Support Facility, were the Brazil’s Internal Revenue Service, the International Football Federation (FIFA), the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI). The international sporting goods industry comprises thousands of companies with a total yearly revenue of US$ 250 billion.
At the event, representatives from the sporting goods industries gave customs officials guidelines for the detection of counterfeit products. WCO technician Ms Sandra Wens presented strategies used by the entity in the field and demonstrated Information Technology (IT) tools used in the fight against counterfeiting (piracy). "We want to send a strong message to counterfeiters that these major sporting events are not a free market for bogus products," said Ms Wens.
The customs operations coordinator of Brazil’s Internal Revenue, Mr Cezar Vasconcelos, believes the content of the seminar was in line with the actions that the body normally undertakes in combating piracy and praised the presentation on the WCO’s IT tools. The action also provides for the inspection of containers at 13 ports, seven in Brazil - Santos (SP), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Itajaí (SC), Rio Grande (RS), Vitória (ES), Suape (PE) and Paranaguá (PR) - and the other in the six partner countries. "Two days before the landing of the containers we already have information about the goods. The seizure of those goods only depends on the traffic movement at the ports," explained Mr Vasconcelos. According to the customs coordinator, until mid-April the IRS was to announce the concrete results of operation Goal 14.
Brazil has been making significant progress in protecting intellectual property rights, primarily through public-private partnership actions promoted by the National Council against Piracy (CNCP). The fight against counterfeiting is also crucial for the European Union, whose companies have invested heavily in research, design and product marketing.
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