It has just taken place at Copacabana Palace, in Rio de Janeiro, a press conference of the International Federation of the Phonografic Industry (IFPI).
Even though FGV had gotten oficial accreditation to participate on the conference, the Centre for Technology and Society´s team of professors WERE BARRED FROM ENTERING the room.
FGV team of professors, Carlos Affonso Souza, Pedro Paranaguá, and Sérgio Branco, were told that the room could fit only 40 persons but they already had around 50 inside it. When asked if the professors could have access and keep standing at least to hear the debate, they were told that there was no room even for standing.
However, after having talked to journalists from TV SBT, O Estado de Sao Paulo, Reuters, Associated Press, Folha de Sao Paulo amongst others, the professors were told that the room was not full and that there were places available.
They tried to obtain the press release, but they were told that IFPA ran out of the copies, and that their representative would send a copy via email — FGV is still waiting for it.
The IFPI, that represents the major recording companies in the world, held this morning a national (Brazilian) press release to officially inform that they are initiating a new round of court actions, this time in Brazil, against users of peer-to-peer networks, a system for downloading files, including music, through software like Soulseek, eMule etc.. They are spreading their court actions from the USA to Brazil.
FGV´s Centre for Technology and Society, under the A2K programme, has prepared a document clarifying the situation and proposing an amendment to the Brazilian copyright law in order to bring a balance to the discussion.
Since FGV was not allowed to enter the conference room, there being bodyguards walking around to intimidate our peaceful professors, they waited until the journalists and photographers were coming out of the room to speak to them and to deliver the document.
All of the journalists got very interested on the issue, and were surprised that FGV was barred from the meeting, despite having had its accreditation accepted.
Make your voice heard. Sign on the online petition prepared by the Centre for Technology and Society (CTS) at FGV School of Law in Rio de Janeiro, to be sent to the Brazilian National Congress in order to amend the Brazilian copyright law.
