Film piracy a $1billion business in Latin America

Leon Forde in Rio de Janeiro
03 October 2006
Piracy cost the Brazilian cinema market $102m last year according to figures announced by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) at the Rio International Film Festival.
A seminar featuring producer Diler Trindade, Total Filmes’ Walkiria Barbosa, producer Luiz Carlos Barreto, the MPA´s Marcio Goncalves and attorney Marcelo Goyanes heard that piracy was worth over $1bn across the Latin American market in 2005. Nearly 25% of the Brazilian market is pirated.
However, Brazil is not a major producer of pirated goods, with the majority of pirated DVDs and VCDs coming through Paraguay. The smuggling of black-market film is closely linked to the illicit cross-border trade in weapons, drugs and other counterfeit goods.
Delegates heard that piracy was not limited to Hollywood product. Local hits God Is Brazilian, directed by Carlos Diegues, and Breno Silveira`s Two Sons Of Francisco, were used as examples of local films that have appeared on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.
Although some educational schemes have been launched in Brazil, enforcing anti-piracy legislation was said to be difficult in the Brazilian market. “Federal police and the legislature are not efficient,” said Barbosa. “You can see pirate copies for sale right outside police buildings.”
There are around 30 million internet users in Brazil, most of which have dial-up connections. Meanwhile, 15 million homes will have DVD players by the end of this year.