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Imavox and Serafim's companies, nothing would have been easier than for Serafim to have produced all relevant documents over production, ordering and deliveries of sleeves, labels and inner sleeves. It can't be the case that the factory operated without keeping production records." After the case, a spokesman for Simons Records said: "We've been presented with technical and cumstantial evidence by the BPI and Motown and we've been able, with the help of the printers and suppliers in Portugal, to answer every point to the satisfaction of ourselves and our legal advisers. "But during the hearing we were confronted with a piece of evidence on one particular sleeve which showed some of the facts in the matter to be contrary to our belief. Because of the lack of time available for the hearing, we were forced to concede for the moment. "However we'll make our own investigations and may well appeal. We still have confidence that the goods we have been selling are not counterfeit." 

Meanwhile, in Portugal, Jose Serafim has alleged that BPI is "after the head of Warren Goldberg because he is a top importer of Canadian records which flow fast into the U.K." Speaking before the London court case, Serafim said it was "ridiculous to use Portuguese imports, which add up to less than 1% of the total U.K. import business, just as bait to stop Canadian imports, which are some 40% of the total, when the government there has not been strong enough to legislate against Canadian importation." 

Of the record situation in Portugal, he said there was a sales boom in 1974-76 when salaries increased, but record companies faced crisis at the end of 1978 when the living standards fell drastically. "The escudo was devalued but industry executives found a port in the storm by going for exports. Riso and Ritmo was exporting small quantities but offers from record companies started pouring in. 

"Since March 1979, Riso and Ritmo has exported more than $7 million worth of product. Executives of the companies knew well that product was not for the very small local market. They must assume their own responsibilities," Serafim claimed.

He claimed his company had bought around $1.2 million worth of product from Valentim de Carvalho in 1980 and the same amount from PolyGram, Portugal, last year. "Vadeca, Virgin's licensee, sold us 106,540 albums including Mike Oldfield product. But when he visited Portugal for concerts, he did not get a gold disk. Yet even exports by Riso and Ritmo exceeded the numbers required to present him with a gold award." 

Serafim maintains there is a media campaign against him. He said: "Shareholders of local record companies never forgave me because my profits from exports were invested in Portugal's record industry, when I bought leading company Radio Triunfo in partnership with Oporto-based producer Arnaldo Trindade. Now I'm seen as a competitor. He added that Radio Triunfo renewed its contract with WEA in Portugal a few months with a special "compromise" that Triunfo would not sell WEA product on export. "We've satisfied this demand religiously," he said.

Serafim employs some 400 people in Portugal, including retail staff in his chain of record shops. His Triunfo pressing plant in Seixo, Oporto, has recently been equipped with advanced modern machinery. He claims his cassette factory in Marinha Grande is one of the best in Europe. He believes the future of the Portuguese record industry will change when the country joins the European Economic Community "because of free circulation of goods among members. The industrial side of the industry will be of vital importance."

https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1981/1981-soul-Billboard-Page-0121.pdf

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