AfterDawn: News

Malaysia uses sniffer dogs to fight piracy

Malaysia has used two sniffer dogs, Lucky and Flo, to assist in the battle against piracy. This makes it the first country to deploy animals to hunt for discs of illegal recordings in cargo (although it is not the first test). The two Black Labradors sniff through cargo and then sit in front of suspicious packages to signal their handler.

"It's cost-effective, and in terms of time, it's very effective too," said Domestic Trade Minister Shafie Apdal. The dogs went through a pile of boxes in 10 minutes that would have otherwise taken security officials a day to check. Malaysia is currently negotiating a free trade pact with the United States, and is featured on the U.S. watchlist on piracy.



The country has dramatically stepped up efforts against piracy in recent years as a result. The dogs will be used in Malaysia for the next month at cargo hangars and storage centers to determine which environment they function best in. "The arrival and deployment of Lucky and Flo will make Malaysia the first country in the world to test the capability of dogs in detecting optical disks in hidden compartments or shipments," Shafie said at Malaysia's biggest air-cargo center in Sepang outside Kuala Lumpur.

The dogs can sniff out CDs and DVDs, either burned or replicated discs, but cannot distinguish between legitimate and pirate discs. "However, the dogs will be valuable in locating disks being shipped in unlikely or unregistered containers," the Motion Picture Association (MPA) said.

Source:
Reuters

Written by: James Delahunty @ 13 Mar 2007 18:48

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• 6 comments

• Blackjax

  Next thing you know they will have these dogs at the airport sniffing your backside for hidden contraband! Way to go mafiaa!!

  13.3.2007 20:16 #1

• PocketQs

  Is it me or do some new blank DVD's smell like celery?! Is this what the dogs sniff for?

  14.3.2007 04:28 #2

• Attin

  Cover your CD's with deodorant from now on :D

  15.3.2007 05:22 #3

• ANGELUSXL

  15.3.2007 11:59 #4

• ANGELUSXL

  Oh jesus - I bet pirates all over the world are crapping themselves at this news...
  
  So is this the best that they can come up with is it - to fight piracy?
  
  And now they have told everyone how they do it, the sales of anti-dog spray to be sprayed on counterfit products travelling through customs will increase then.
  
  Job done - dogs cant sniff them out.

  15.3.2007 12:14 #5

• wetsparks

  Quote:Malaysia is currently negotiating a free trade pact with the United StatesGreat, another country that will ship billions of dollars worth of stuff into the country and not pay any import taxes. But other than that, let them waste tax payer money on something that will prove that the mafiaa is blowing smoke out their @$$ about all "piracy" that is taking place.

  18.3.2007 16:18 #6