Protecting Latin America's Geniuses: A Special Report on Piracy in the New Issue of Americas Quarterly
Protecting Latin America's Geniuses: A Special Report on Piracy in the New Issue of Americas Quarterly
The first part of the 114-page issue explores the topic of piracy in Latin America as it has never been reported before.
New York, January 23, 2019 — Pirated goods account for as much as 2 percent of Latin America’s GDP, according to Brazil’s National Forum against Piracy and Illegality. For its first issue of 2019, Americas Quarterly (AQ)—the leading publication on politics, business, and culture in the hemisphere—takes a look at the region-wide problem.
The first part of the 114-page issue explores the topic of piracy in Latin America as it has never been reported before. In São Paulo, Jonathan Franklin tackles the problem head-on with an in-depth investigation of one of most menacing products for the entertainment industry: the “black box.” Emilie Sweigart assesses what governments are doing—and not doing—to fight piracy. Ximena Enríquez looks at two cases of government anti-piracy actions with diverging outcomes, Mexico’s Sportflix and Guatemala’s Tennis Shoe King. Ben Miller details the different forms piracy takes and its costs to the region’s economies. Finally, Raquel Ceballos Molano writes about Colombia’s fight to protect indigenous knowledge, and Edson Luiz Vismona connects piracy to Latin America’s fight against organized crime.
“In the world’s most violent and unequal region, piracy is often dismissed as a victimless, even justifiable crime. As our special report shows, the problem is far more complicated—and insidious,” writes AQ Editor-in-Chief Brian Winter. “Unless governments start to treat the theft of intellectual property more seriously, the region will be deprived of future cultural treasures and a critical motor for its twenty-first-century economies.”
Other articles on this issue include:
- AQ’s Top Five Inventors: Five Latin Americans, including two Mexicans, who have come up with solutions to problems such as air pollution and safety risks for Brazil’s black filmmakers.
- An op-ed by former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that makes the case for greater engagement between Latin America and the United States.
- A look at who really buys pirated goods in Latin America by AQ reporters.
- A special report on the newly inaugurated governments in Brazil and Mexico, coming January 28.
To learn more, or to request interviews with the authors, please contact AS/COA Media Relations: mediarelations@as-coa.org | 1-212-277-8333
Americas Quarterly’s complete first issue of 2019 will be available online January 31 at AmericasQuarterly.org
Americas Quarterly is an award-winning publication dedicated to politics, business, and culture in the Americas. Borrowing elements from The Economist, Foreign Affairs, and National Geographic—but with a focus on Latin America—AQ is dedicated to covering the region in all its diversity and promise. AQ's elite, agenda-setting readership includes CEOs, senior government officials, and thought leaders, as well as a general-interest audience passionate about the Americas. Launched in 2007 and based in New York City, AQ is an independent publication of Americas Society/Council of the Americas, which for more than 50 years have been dedicated to dialogue in our hemisphere.
