More than 1,800 kilometers of substandard network cables was seized by the Brazilian Federal Revenue Secretariat at the Porto f Itajaí, Santa Catarina state, just in the first half of the month. The material was brought from China and the importers suffered a loss of over R$ 1.7 million. The problem with the cables was their composition – copper-coated aluminum instead of pure copper – in violation of the safety rules imposed by the regulator, the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL). The efforts of the customs authorities were prompted by the work of Siqueira Castro - Advogados, contracted by Sindicel (Association of the Electrical Conductor, Drawn and Laminated Nonferrous Metal Industries of the State of São Paulo). The impounded cables will be destroyed.

“The importation of any material in violation of the internal standards poses a threat to the nation’s economy through unfair competition, harming employment and tax revenues, besides public safety. For these reasons, it is important to conduct actions of this type, to make civil society aware of the importance of fighting unfair competition and other criminal practices,” according to Márcio Costa Menezes e Gonçalves and Eduardo Ribeiro Augusto, partners of the intellectual property sector of Siqueira Castro - Advogados.

Client:

Sindicel (Association of the Electrical Conductor, Drawn and Laminated Nonferrous Metal Industries of the State of São Paulo)

Partner:

Márcio Costa Menezes e Gonçalves and Eduardo Ribeiro Augusto