The aim was to «make consumers aware» of the problems arising from hacking, explains Alexandre Bravo, executive director of the Association of Audiovisual Commerce of Portugal – which organized the protest.
Between 2 pm yesterday and 2 pm today, many passersby were surprised by the apparatus installed in the middle of Praça Luís de Camões, in Chiado (Lisbon), who expressed support for the cause – although some also confessed to prevaricating in the comfort of home, admitted Alexandre Bravo, in conversation with TeK.
The official says that the action registered a «good reception» with the public, reaping the «support of people from all walks of life», from associations for the defense of copyright to artists, including the Portuguese Press Association, he exemplified.
As a sign of protest, the association distributed 2,174 DVDs to those who passed through Lisbon’s square (all that it had taken for the purpose), drew «between 6 and 8 films» and ensured the vigil even at night, with 6 people in the place in permanence – which were never questioned by the authorities.
The action «was a success but we cannot stop, there is a lot of work to follow», added the president of ACAPOR, stressing the need to «pressure the political power to find and put into practice solutions to the current situation», which he believes is harmful for both small and large companies.
Asked about concrete proposals in the area, he spoke of the need to regulate, and of «solutions that can fit in our legal system to preserve intellectual property».
Although in previous statements to TeK the official considered the Portuguese law sufficient (emphasizing only the need to apply it), during today’s conversation he did not rule out a solution that involves more drastic measures, referring to the transposition of the directive recently approved by the European Commission that contemplates the possibility of the creation of national legislation that foresees the cut of Internet supply.
«Very radical solutions are to be avoided but must be applied in situations that are also very radical», defends Alexandre Bravo. «The cross between the Spanish and the French solution seems to me to be happy, what cannot be done is to continue this anarchy,» he said personally.
