Bahia Is A “Piracy Paradise”

That is how the U.S. Trade Office called the Bahia of Guayaquil, a group stores of about twenty blocks ranging from east to west side of the city, from Malecón Simón Bolívar to Chimborazo streets, and from north to south begingin in Colón to Capitán Nájera streets- where you can find lower prices on evrything, from apparel products to electronics and medicines.

About five thousand merchants have stalls at Bahia, however 70% of the merchandise offered in this place is not original, according to the prosecutor Intellectual Property Crime, Monica Rivera.

It is estimated that there are about 300 stalls selling pirated discs in Bahia, where movies and music are offered.

The uncontrolled increase of the free supply of pirated products led the Trade Office of the United States to include Bahía in the list of the main piracy pradises in the world, a ranking of 17 nations in Latin America, where Paraguay, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia are also included. The U.S. Department asked the authorities to intensify efforts to combat counterfeiting in those markets through a statement.

Source: El Universo Newspaper

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