January 8, 2025
Reading time • 5 min
The US government includes the Rua 25 de Março area among the world’s main markets for piracy and counterfeit products
The 25 de Março area, one of the main popular shopping areas in the city of São Paulo, features in a report by a US government agency, released on Wednesday (8), on the world’s biggest markets for piracy and counterfeit products.
The document from the USTR, the US Trade Representative’s Office, identifies 38 websites and 33 physical markets around the world that would harbor or facilitate trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy. China remains the main source of counterfeit products.
The aim of the report is to motivate action by the private sector and measures by governments to reduce piracy and counterfeiting, which cause billions in damage every year. The report places special emphasis on the activities of illicit online pharmacies and the production of fake medicines.
Piracy hotspots
In the part of the document about Rua 25 de Março, the report mentions the entire region that encompasses the Historic Center and the Santa Ifigênia and Brás neighborhoods, including Shopping 25 de Março, Galeria Page Centro, Galeria Santa Ifigênia, Shopping Tupan, Shopping Korai, Feira da Madrugada and Nova Feira da Madrugada.
According to the USTR, the original brands see the area as “one of the largest wholesale and retail markets for counterfeit products in Brazil and Latin America, with more than a thousand stores selling counterfeit products of all kinds”, including electronics, clothing, footwear, eyewear, perfumes, fashion accessories, luxury items, toys and consoles pre-loaded with copies of video games.
According to the companies that own the rights to the products, the markets on Rua 25 de Março also distribute counterfeit and pirated items to other parts of Brazil.
The report points out that, despite enforcement actions, those responsible for the trade in illegal products in the region continue to act.
However, the document cites some measures taken by Brazil, such as an anti-piracy operation carried out in September focusing on music streaming sites and apps, with the arrest of suspects.
