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Fighting piracy in Brazil: economic, cultural and social aspects

Piracy in Brazil is still at alarming levels even though the statistics show that the actions initiated to fight it have had an effect and have led to the country moving down the world piracy ranking.
The damages which piracy causes a country are well known, such as the loss of tax revenue, job reduction, the decrease in investment in innovation and technology, the contribution to organised crime, and even risks to the health of consumers who buy counterfeit medicine.

However, there are still people who defend it believing that piracy brings undeniable benefits, such as allowing the lower class to consume products, generation of informal jobs and even social harmony achieved through consumer spending. Nevertheless, faced with the obvious damages, public and private organizations increasingly join forces in the fight against product counterfeiting, promoting initiatives which range from repressive up to economic and educational measures.

The repressive measures are achieving positive results with the joint actions of the Brazilian police authorities and customs together with the main border regions with Brazil. However, these practices are not enough to solve the problem.

Another measure, which is increasingly being adopted, is education. The objective is to make people aware, and to warn them about the damages caused by purchasing counterfeit products. Advertising campaigns are carried out aimed at consumers of all ages and social groups as pirate products are bought at all levels, since the only difference is the type of product bought.

The main reason for consuming these products is still their very attractive price, which can be half or even a quarter of the original price. Therefore, another front in the battle against piracy involves economic actions which aim to reduce taxes and reformulate measures which encourage the creation of original products at lower prices.

The sale of counterfeit products has become a form of survival for many Brazilians, but the profits from this illegal trade are for very few people. In addition to economic damages, piracy also threatens the populations health and safety. Therefore, the solution to this problem lies in all sectors of our society contributing towards the fight against the crime of piracy.

Carmen Sánchez-Puelles