Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04BRASILIA2017
2004-08-11 12:28:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Brasilia
Cable title:  

GSP: FIRST US-BRAZIL IPR WORKING GROUP MEETING

Tags:  ETRD KIPR BR IPR 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 002017 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/BSC AND EPSC; EB/IPC
STATE PASS TO USTR FOR SCRONIN, LYANG AND BPECK
STATE PASS USPTO FOR LLOURIE, CBERDUT, MRASENBERGER
USDOC FOR 4332/ITA/MAC/OLAC/WBASTION/JANDERSON/DMCDOUGA L
AND FOR JBOGER
NSC FOR MIKE DEMPSEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2014
TAGS: ETRD KIPR BR IPR
SUBJECT: GSP: FIRST US-BRAZIL IPR WORKING GROUP MEETING

Classified By: Economic Officer Janice Fair for reasons 1.4, (b) and (d
)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 002017

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/BSC AND EPSC; EB/IPC
STATE PASS TO USTR FOR SCRONIN, LYANG AND BPECK
STATE PASS USPTO FOR LLOURIE, CBERDUT, MRASENBERGER
USDOC FOR 4332/ITA/MAC/OLAC/WBASTION/JANDERSON/DMCDOUGA L
AND FOR JBOGER
NSC FOR MIKE DEMPSEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2014
TAGS: ETRD KIPR BR IPR
SUBJECT: GSP: FIRST US-BRAZIL IPR WORKING GROUP MEETING

Classified By: Economic Officer Janice Fair for reasons 1.4, (b) and (d
)


1. (C) Summary. As a result of the 90-day extension
announced on June 30, 2004 for review of Brazil's trade
benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP),a
bilateral IPR Working Group held its inaugural session on
August 5 in Rio de Janeiro to discuss IPR enforcement issues.
The WG was formed as part of the existing U.S.-Brazil
Bilateral Consultative Mechanism (BCM) with the aim of
identifying concrete steps the GoB is undertaking to improve
enforcement of copyright laws and combat piracy. Not
unexpectedly, the GoB offered no concrete commitments on new
actions during this initial meeting. However, despite some
push-back, the atmospherics for the meeting were generally
positive and the tone of the discussion was constructive.
The next WG session will take place in Washington DC the week
of September 6 and will focus on producing a report, which
will be presented later in the month to DUSTR Peter Allgeier
and to U/S Clodoaldo Hugueney, as joint chairs of the BCM
process. The U.S. GSP Committee will review the WG's report
as it considers further action regarding the International
Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) petition to remove
Brazil's GSP benefits. End Summary.


2. (U) Within the United States-Brazil Bilateral Consultative
Mechanism process, U.S. and Brazilian officials launched a
bilateral Working Group on IPR enforcement during a five-hour
session in Rio de Janeiro on August 5, 2004. The Brazilian
delegation was led by Foreign Ministry rep Antonino Marques
Porto e Santos, Chief of the Department for Scientific and
Technological Affairs, who reports directly to MRE's
Undersecretary for Economic and Technological Affairs,
Ambassador Hugueney. Porto was accompanied by Otavio
Brandelli and Henrique Choer Moraes - Acting Chief and
Advisor in MRE's Intellectual Property Division,
respectively; Ambassador Oswaldo Portella - International
Advisor, Valquiria Souza Teixera de Andrade - Director

General of the Federal Police, and Robson Robin da Silva
-Advisor to the National Secretariat for Public Security from
the Ministry of Justice; and Ernani Checcucci - Acting
Director General of Customs in the Ministry of Finance.


3. (U) Sue Cronin, USTR Senior Director for Brazil and the
Southern Cone led the U.S. delegation, which included Linda
Lourie, Attorney-Advisor, USPTO Office of International
Relations; David Edwards, State Brazil desk officer; Erin
McConaha, Consulate Rio Econoff; and Janice Fair, Embassy
Brasilia Econoff. USG participants for the afternoon session
via teleconference were Brian Peck, Senior Director of
Intellectual Property, USTR; Leslie Yang, Director for
MERCOSUR, USTR; Caridad Berdut, Attorney-Advisor, USPTO
Office of Enforcement; Mary Rasenberger, Policy Planning
Advisor, U.S. Copyright Office; Jennifer Boger,
International Trade Specialist, Commerce Department; and Meg
Ward, Brazil desk officer, Commerce Department.


4. (SBU) The WG on IPR enforcement was formed as a result of
discussions between DUSTR Peter Allgeier and Brazilian
Ambassador to the U.S., Roberto Abdenur, following USTR's
announcement on June 30, 2004 that the USG's review of
Brazil's continuing benefits under the Generalized System of
Preferences (GSP) trade program had been extended by 90 days
(until September 30). The review was prompted by a petition
submitted in 2001 in which the IIPA requested that GSP
benefits for Brazilian products be removed on grounds the
Brazilian government does not provide adequate copyright
protection. While providing a bilateral forum for discussion
of IPR enforcement issues in general, the WG has as a
specific objective the development of a report on the GoB's
recent actions and work plan for improving the enforcement of
copyright protection and combating piracy. This information
will feed into GSP Committee deliberations as it decides
what action to take regarding the IIPA petition.


5. (C) Not surprisingly, no GoB commitments emerged from this
initial meeting. However, despite a pro-forma reiteration of
the Brazilian view that it is inappropriate to address IPR
enforcement under the GSP program, the tone of the meeting
was generally constructive, with Brazilian interlocutors
professing a sincere interest in resolving the GSP/IPR issue.



6. (C) In his opening remarks, Minister Porto cautioned
against misrepresentations that imply the GoB has done little
in ("lacks") IPR enforcement. He emphasized that the WG
should work constructively to avoid negative repercussions in
the otherwise broad and rich bilateral relationship. To
deflect the focus from being solely on GoB actions, Porto was
also keen throughout the meeting to frame the discussion as a
bilateral exchange and to emphasize that effective IPR
enforcement cannot be attained by Brazil alone, but requires
international cooperation.


7. (C) To ensure the Brazilian interlocutors understood the
seriousness of the situation, Cronin drew attention to the
real risk posed by the GSP review by noting the past
withdrawal of GSP benefits from Argentina and Honduras on IPR
grounds. Cronin stressed the USG preference to avoid such
an outcome through a productive WG process. Cronin also took
pains to make clear that although the WG is a bilateral
forum, the WG is charged with producing a report that
identifies GoB, not USG, actions to improve copyright
enforcement; the issue is piracy of U.S. products in the
Brazilian market, not piracy of Brazilian products in the
U.S. market.


8. (C) Regarding possible GoB actions, Porto stressed that
the WG process itself is important and that Brazil won't
accept guidelines imposed from abroad. Porto and his team
said the Brazilian executive branch is analyzing the
recommendations contained in the June 23 report of the
Chamber of Deputies' Parliamentary Investigative Commission
(CPI) on Piracy and Tax Evasion, but it was not yet possible
to identify those measures that will be implemented. They
stressed the complexity of certain recommendations,
particularly those involving different branches of the
government, and cautioned that the CPI report is not a cake
recipe in which once the recommendations are implemented
piracy is eliminated. Cronin suggested the CPI
recommendations be viewed more as a menu offering good
suggestions on meaningful actions the GoB can undertake to
combat piracy.


9. (C) Minister Porto and his delegation gave extensive
reports on current GoB enforcement efforts including those of
the Federal Police, Customs, and of the Secretariat of Public
Security. Some of the more interesting points included:
- Admission that the Inter-ministerial Committee on Piracy
had not performed adequately and an indication the GoB is
looking at its reformulation, including possible inclusion of
private-sector representatives and a more direct role with
law enforcement activities.
- Existence of Mercosul Agreement #5 in 2003 to enhance
regional security by strengthening intelligence exchange on
piracy activities and GoB plans to press for increased joint
action in the Southern Cone during Brazil's tenure as
Mercosul president pro tempore. Specifically, copyright
violation will be a central topic of Interior Ministers
(Mercosul plus Associate members) during a meeting this
semester.
- Existence of a Unified Public Security System (Ministry of
Justice) for integrating and standardizing crime information
as a means of improving public security (covers all types of
crime).
- With regard to a CPI recommendation for increasing
copyright infringement penalties, Porto noted that changes to
Brazil's penal code in 2003 already increased the minimum
sentence from one to two years (Note: the increase in
penalties does not apply to software piracy).
- Seemingly high level of coordination with other government
agencies by Brazil's Customs to combat smuggling at ports,
airports, and along the frontier. Customs uses an integrated
system of a trade database and intelligence information to
determine inspections based on risk factor. To deter
transshipment of pirated products or their base materials,
Customs inspects all shipments of "sensitive" products -
included virgin CDs since 2000; list was expanded this year
to now include all shipments of CDs. Customs is also
considering banning the transshipment of CDs and blank
CD-ROMs (presumably to Paraguay).


10. (SBU) U.S. officials on conference call from Washington
provided an overview of U.S. procedures to combat piracy, in
particular, U.S. Customs' ability as a competent authority to
determine infringement and dispose of merchandise without
judicial action.


11. (C) In speaking with Porto after the formal close of the
meeting, Cronin emphasized the need for the WG to show real
results, and explained that the WG report will be considered
by the GSP Committee in making its final decision on the
90-day GSP review. Cronin also noted that the role of the
judicial system had not been discussed and encouraged the GoB
to consider possible action in this area to further deter
piracy.


12. (C) The next WG meeting will take place in Washington DC.
the week of September 6, specific date to be determined, and
will focus on producing a report. Working Group officials
will present their report later in September to DUSTR Peter
Allgeier and to the Foreign Ministry's Under Secretary for
Economic and Technological Affairs, Clodoaldo Hugueney, joint
chairs of the BCM, at a venue to be determined.

Comment


13. (C) Considering the GoB's normal sensitivity regarding
IPR issues, the frank and serious exchange of this meeting is
noteworthy. While Porto displayed some prickliness out of
concern that the shorthand reference to "Brazil's lack of
enforcement" evokes the misperception that Brazil in no way
provides IPR protection, he refrained from using "lack of
resources" and legalistic arguments (recent WTO case on EU's
GSP program) to avoid entirely a discussion of the GSP/IPR
enforcement problem. This in part may reflect the less
antagonistic attitude of Ambassador Hugueney, with whom USTR
works closely on WTO issues, compared to those of his other
MRE counterparts. The timing may also be propitious, as the
fanfare surrounding the CPI report already creates pressure
within Brazil to improve IPR protection, so that subsequent
GoB enactment of new measures need not be linked to USG
pressure. These next weeks may clarify GoB intentions as the
CPI formally wraps up on August 11. The GoB will likely give
serious and careful consideration to CPI recommendations in
an effort to calibrate its response to the USG, searching for
sufficient action to avoid losing GSP benefits. It is
impossible to know at this juncture if the GoB is prepared to
do what is necessary. The devil will be in the details when
the WG next meets and the discussion turns to the specifics
of the report.


14. (U) This cable was cleared by USTR and coordinated with
Consulate Rio.
Danilovich