Here's an article I found while browsing this morning, first the DEA/Customs use dogs now this!?!.

quote:

Two black Labradors have become the world's first dogs to be trained to search for counterfeit DVDs, a trade organisation have said.
The dogs, Lucky and Flo, have been trained to detect discs to help combat DVD piracy, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) said.

Fact has joined forces with express delivery company FedEx and HM Revenue & Customs to crack down on DVD piracy. As part of a project promoted by the Motion Picture Association, Fact organised for the dogs to undergo training with a world expert in the field.

A Fact spokesman said the dogs had been taught to identify DVDs that might be located in boxes, envelopes or other packaging, as well as discs concealed amongst other goods which would them be sold illegally in the UK.

"These DVDs are often smuggled by criminal networks involved in large scale piracy," the spokesman said.

Further nfo can be found at here

Regards, Esskie.

Can they find a copied DVD among some originals?

(in reply to Esskie)

From what I read Antonio it sounds like they are trained to find discs, originals or/and copied?, then I suppose once the dogs find discs it'll be upto the handlers to look & see if they are copied.

I wonder what all the mail order/online CD/DVD stores have to say about this?. Imagine someone buying a disc (CD and/or DVD) mail order only to have it opened & checked on it's way! .

Sounds pretty crazy imho! .

(in reply to Antonio)

I don't believe that this can happen but anyway, dogs supposed to have a good nose

(in reply to Esskie)

Probably something to do with the media, some people find that a freshly opened pack of blanks has a small, so if that lingers...

I'd say they sniff out recordable media

(in reply to emperor)

I find out with my new 25-spindle of DVD-R 16x (MID code TYG03) that blank DVD's stick a bit ont the fingers when yo touch them on the edge and that this pack of 25 smells stronger that my oldier spindles.
Maybe it is because these 16x rated ones have been manufactured (in Japan) more recently than my TYG02 and TYG01.
For a single DVD in a jewel box it is harder to tell ...

I dont think that these dogs are able to smell the different dyes (cyanine, Azo, ...) and distinguish blanks or burned discs from pressed ones.
This dye is supposed to be well sealed inside and protected against the penetration of oxygen.
Either the polycarbonate but more probably the glue used for bonding all DVD's (pressed and burned ones) must have a special smell.

If you read the original article:
http://www.fact-uk.org.uk/site/latest_news/index.htm
« They were amazingly successful at identifying packages containing DVD’s,
which were opened and checked by HM Customs’ representatives.
While all were legitimate shipments on the day . . . . »
it is said that the customs have to do a "hand job" on every single parcel in order to check for illegal copies after a dog sniffed out a parcel containing DVD's.
I think that the larger the quantity of DVD's is in a parcel the more efficient the dogs are,
as I cannot see these dogs sniffing out every single pressed DVD sealed in a jewel box with the transparent paper around.


From this news I learned at least that there is a (little) way to tell if a spindle of blanks is still fresh (because there is no date for conservation on blank DVD's ...)

(in reply to Matthew)

Sounds like a random experiment. Some dvd-rs i get are pretty stinky, but I don't think it's the dogs could sniff them out. Even if the could, what's the use? So you bought 2x 100disk DVD-Rs from hong kong for like $2 each. The dogs find them, big deal. What are they gonna do? Put you in jail for bringing back DVD-Rs (last time i checked, customs didn't mind you bringing them but they might wanna have a look at em)? Say you're taking some home videos burnt on DVD-Rs to Germany for some old friends or family to watch. The dogs wanna sniff them out your bag? It sounds like a waste of time IMO.

-Witty

(in reply to franz99)

probably would be used for raids at suspect cars, trucks to discover counterfeit material

(in reply to Big Witty)

<sniff>  Smells like...

What's this ?  This smell, it ... it , well it smells so familiar ....

Is it a counterfeit DVD ?  No, it's something else.  It's ...

Oh wait, I know !

It smells just like a troll !

(in reply to emperor)