Shirley Prestes
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Porto Alegre - The president of the National Council to Combat Piracy and Intellectual Property Violations, Márcio Gonçalves, said yesterday (21) that the contraband seized in Brazil between November, 2004, and November of this year amounts to US$ 87 million. According to Gonçalves, the value of the contraband seized in 2005 alone is 130% greater than in 2004.

During a talk at the Seminar on Piracy, Frauds, and Market Violations in Porto Alegre, in southern Brazil, he affirmed that "the main entryway for contraband is the Brazilian border with Paraguay, in Foz do Iguaçu, in the state of Paraná." He added, however, that, after barriers were set up in the region, this type of activity diminished 60%.

The seminar, which ends today (22), is sponsored by the Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police Academy (Acadepol), in partnership with the National Council to Combat Piracy and Intellectual Property Violations, an organ created in November, 2004, following a recommendation made by the Chamber of Deputy's Parliamentary Investigative Commission (CPI) on Piracy in its final report.

Translation: David Silberstein