violette

Sniff, is that a DVD in your bag?
November 04, 2006 Print Ready Email Article

THESE two are no ordinary dogs.

-- MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION

The black labrador retrievers are the world's first dogs trained to sniff out CDs and DVDs in packages and containers.

Lucky and Flo demonstrated their skills recently in Hong Kong.

In 2004, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) - which represents the interests of movie companies worldwide - did a study to find out whether dogs could be trained to detect polycarbonate and other chemicals used in optical discs such as DVDs.

A trainer in Northern Ireland known for training dogs to locate and identify bombs trained Lucky and Flo to find optical discs in large and small packages and containers.

After eight months of training, Lucky and Flo underwent their first major live test - at London's Stansted airport.

The dogs were immediately successful in identifying packages containing DVDs and detecting even the smallest amount of product in very large containers.

According to the MPA, Lucky and Flo are able to detect but unable to distinguish between CDs and DVDs, burned and replicated discs, or legitimate and pirate discs.

However, the MPA says, because legitimate shipments of optical discs are generally registered on shipping manifests, the dogs will be valuable in locating discs being shipped in unlikely or unregistered containers, which may contain pirated CDs or DVDs.

The dogs, which cost around US$9,000 ($14,000) to train, had earlier demonstrated their DVD-sniffing skills to law enforcement officials in Washington and Los Angeles.

S'PORE PLANS NIXED

There were plans to bring the two to Singapore but that did not work out due to quarantine restrictions.

The worldwide motion picture industry lost US$18.2 billion last year to piracy. Of that, more than US$11b was a result of optical disc piracy including bootlegging and illegal copying.

'There is abundant evidence that intellectual property theft has become a preferred fund-raising activity for organisations that also number among their pastimes drug trafficking, prostitution and people trafficking,' said Mr Mike Ellis, the MPA's senior vice-president and regional director of Asia-Pacific.

Mr Ahmad Dahuri Mahmud, head of optical discs special unit with Malaysia's Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry, attended the Hong Kong demonstration.

'The dogs were very effective at sniffing out DVDs even though they had been covered with a substantial amount of bubble wrap,' Mr Ahmad told the New Straits Times.

He said the ministry is studying the feasibility of using dogs for its enforcement operations.

Senior ministry officials told the newspaper that they are considering bringing the dogs' trainer, Mr Neil Powell, to Malaysia.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...16762,00.html?

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Dear all,
Pls contact me at
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with regards to spree matters as I will be seldom online in SGC. Thanks.

11 ongoing sprees & counting...

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Vogue Shop l Your Fashion Shop l Wonderland l Beauty Secret l Kana
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Forever 21 l Urban Outfitters l Charlotte Russe l Smackers l ELF l Victoria's Secret
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funnysnow

wow. dog to sniff DVDs ? omg.

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fuyumi

Then if it's a self burnt dvd with photos in it le?? I don't think it's going to be effective.

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