OD MICROSCOPE TAKES ON LARGE-SCALE PIRACY

UNCLAS BANGKOK 004983 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS USDOC FOR JKELLY, SWILSON USDOC PASS USPTO FOR PFOWLER E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: KIPR TH SUBJECT: OD MICROSCOPE TAKES ON LARGE-SCALE PIRACY (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified. Please handle accordingly. ¶1. (U) Summary: At an August 7 media event, the Royal Thai Police (RTP) unveiled a USG-provided optical disc forensics microscope. The microscope will be used to identify the source of pirated optical discs and produce evidence to be used in prosecution of copyright infringers. The microscope promises to aid police in tracking down large-scale piracy operations, but a shift in production toward small scale CD and DVD burning may limit its impact. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Embassy Bangkok procured and donated an optical disc (OD) forensic microscope, originally designed by the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI),and arranged for its installation at Royal Thai Police headquarters. The new OD forensics lab is based on the same principal behind forensic ballistic investigations. Each mould used in manufacturing optical discs contains almost imperceptible flaws, which are replicated onto each disc during the manufacturing process. With technical precision, the forensic microscope can detect these telltale marks on pirated discs, which can be compared with discs from factories around the region to determine the origin of the discs. IFPI representatives briefed judges and prosecutors at the Intellectual Property Court on the operation of the microscope and received positive signals that evidence produced from the lab could be used in prosecutions against copyright infringers. ¶3. (U) Key to the lab's installation was a joint operation earlier in the year by police and Department of Intellectual Property officials to obtain exemplar discs from each registered manufacturing line in the country. A set of exemplars now resides with the optical disc forensics lab, another was handed over to IFPI for use in their London office. IFPI reps hoped to be able to trace seized optical discs in Europe and other ports back to manufacturers in Thailand. ¶4. (SBU) The forensics lab reportedly had its first success soon after installation. During a training exercise, police forensics officials discovered a match between a recently seized pirate CD and the exemplar from a CD manufacturer. Of note was the factory's registered owner, a local politician with a somewhat unsavory reputation who has been linked to various shady enterprises. Whether police have the fortitude to take on well-connected factory owners such as this one remains to be seen. Too little, too late? -------------- ¶5. (U) IFPI statistics show that production of pirated CDs is shifting from high production factories to small-scale CD/DVD burners, whose source cannot be traced. 80 percent of the pirated discs seized in raids in Thailand this year were home-made by CD/DVD burners, from a 50/50 share between factory-made discs and home-made discs only a year ago. This signals a rough path for enforcement in the future. CD/DVD burners can be set up anywhere and are much harder to track down than factories. Declining prices of CD/DVD burners and blank discs is helping drive the increase in the number of home-made illegal discs on the market. ¶6. (U) Local reps for the Motion Picture Association noted that retail piracy shops have begun to keep DVD burners in their stores, rather than a ready stash of illegal discs supplied by factories and their distributors. Retailers hold legitimate products and copy them when they receive a customer order, so that there is no evidence for law enforcement officials to discover on raids and no product to be seized. ¶7. (U) Comment: The forensic microscope promises to be a significant tool in prosecution of large-scale optical disc pirates, but the long-term effect may be simply to bring about a shift in piracy methods. If illegal home-made discs eventually replace factory-made discs in the piracy market the machine will lose some of its value, though putting a dent in large-scale piracy will help to bring down supply in Thailand and curtail exports to other countries. End Comment. BOYCE