BRAZIL: MOJ OFFICIALS SUPPORT NEW PRIVATE INDUSTRY

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000680 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EB/TPP/IPE JENNIFER BOGER DEPT PASS USTR FOR VICTORIA ESPINEL, CHRIS WILSON, SUE CRONIN AND JENNIFER CHOE GROVES USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/OIPR CASSIE PETERS USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/WH/OLAC/MCAMPOS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KIPR ETRD ECON BR SUBJECT: BRAZIL: MOJ OFFICIALS SUPPORT NEW PRIVATE INDUSTRY ANTI-PIRACY ORGANIZATION ¶1. (SBU) Newly appointed Minister of Justice Tarso Genro joined Vice Minister of Justice Luiz Paulo Barreto in expressing support to representatives of the Motion Picture Association (MPA),the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the Rio De Janeiro based Association of Record Producers (ABPD) for the recently formed Alliance Against Cinema and Music Piracy (APCM) at an April 12 meeting in Brasilia. APCM is a collaborative effort by the MPA and IFPI and the first organization of its kind in Latin America. It will provide logistical and intelligence support for on-going GOB anti-piracy efforts. Industry representatives congratulated the MOJ on its progress in combating piracy over the past year and noted that the MOJ's National Council Against Piracy (CNCP) is both a national and international model that could be adapted to the fight against illegal internet downloads of films and music. MOJ officials acknowledged the increased problem of internet piracy and were open to industry collaboration to combat it. In a separate meeting afterwards, Barreto - who also serves as President of CNCP - assured IFPI representatives that he would drop his previous public opposition to legal actions filed by them against Brazilian end-users of pirated music. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) At an April 12 meeting at the Ministry of Justice in Brasilia, representatives of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), and the Rio De Janeiro based Association of Record Producers (ABPD) outlined to Minister of Justice Tarso Genro and Vice Minister of Justice Luiz Paulo Barreto details of the newly formed Alliance Against Cinema and Music Piracy (APCM),a cooperative effort between MPA and IFPI. ¶3. (SBU) Industry officials congratulated Minister of Justice Tarso Genro on the GOB's progress against piracy. Genro replied that he was proud of the efforts by the MOJ to combat piracy and vowed to continue anti-piracy actions. He welcomed the new organization and offered any needed assistance. ¶4. (U) MPA officials recalled the 2006 award their organization presented to Barreto, in his role as President of the National Council Against Piracy (CNCP),for "being the most creative anti-piracy crusader in the region" and noted a dramatic response in the GOB's anti-piracy efforts over the past year. They pointed out that APCM will use MPA and IFPI experience in the production and distribution of entertainment media to gather intelligence in order to help the GOB fight piracy - benefiting both U.S. and Brazilian industry. ¶5. (U) Industry officials said that CNCP, an anti-piracy council organized by the MOJ, was both a domestic and international model of public-private cooperation. They commended the GOB for apprehending over 50 million pirated CDs and DVDs in the past year, many of which originated in Brazil, and emphasized the need for continued enforcement activity against the sources of these items. ¶6. (SBU) Participants discussed the ongoing threat of internet based piracy with industry representatives calling for establishment of a Brazilian model along the lines of CNCP to help combat it. MOJ officials responded that CNCP is conducting educational campaigns against internet piracy, but were open to collaboration with the industry. ¶7. (SBU) After the meeting, IFPI representatives held a brief conference with Barreto. An industry official later told EconOff that during the meeting IFPI participants convinced Barreto to drop his previous public opposition to legal actions by IFPI against Brazilian end-users of pirated music downloaded from the internet. Sobel