According to industry officials, an anti-piracy dog by the name of Paddy has made a large bust in Malaysia, uncovering 35,000 pirated discs in a few warehouses in the region.
The MPA added in a statement that the raids occurred last week in southern Johor. Paddy is trained to detect chemicals in DVD-R discs.
“Paddy led enforcement officers on a successful weekend operation to shut down the supply lines of pirated movie DVDs in the Malaysian state of Johor,” read the statement.
“Post-raid investigations revealed that two of the targets were actively involved in exporting pirated DVDs to Singapore.”
After the raids, 6 factories were shut down and brand new titles such as “Terminator Salvation”, “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”, “Angels and Demons” and “Star Trek” were seized.
“This is a clear signal to the pirates that we will not waver in our efforts to shut them down,” continued Mohamad Roslan Mahayudin, director-general of enforcement for the Malaysian ministry.
“We are glad to hear that Paddy’s skills are being put to good use against the large, organised network of pirates involved in exporting illegal pirated DVDs to Singapore,” concluded Mike Ellis, the MPA’s Asia-Pacific managing director.
Result for: factories
Nintendo is already advising would-be buyers in Europe to buy the DSi early to avoid almost inevitable stock shortages during the holiday season.
The handheld goes on sale in the region on April 3rd and UK general manager David Yarnton has added that it will be difficult to keep enough supply to satisfy demand, especially during the hectic holiday shopping season.
“I always advise people to buy early,” noted Yarnton. “One of the things that people don’t seem to understand is that factories are producing constantly; they don’t peak and trough.
“So we’re producing product all the time, but then everyone wants it all at the one end of the year. It’s just so hard to try and keep up.”
Retail chains have already reported strong demand for the DSi, which will sell for GBP 149.
Result for: factories
Pioneer has confirmed rumors that have flared this week and will be dropping out of the TV business altogether.
The move follows the $1.44 billion USD loss the company has taken in the past year on its LCD and Plasma operations. Two factories will be shut down immediately and the company will completely phase out TVs by the Q1 2010.
Additionally, the company said it will cut costs by cutting 10,000 jobs, mainly in Japan.
In the TV business, Pioneer is best known for its high quality Kuro plasma TVs which enjoy high contrast ratios and color replication. Back in March however, the company said it would halt Plasma production to focus on LCD production.
