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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 GUANGZHOU 015230 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDOC FOR 4420/ITA/MAC/MCQUEEN, DAS LEVINE 
STATE FOR EB/TPP MASSINGA, FELSING 
STATE PASS COPYRIGHT FOR TEPP 
STATE PASS INTERNATIONAL IPR ENFORCEMENT COORDINATOR CHRIS 
ISRAEL 
STATE PASS USPTO FOR DUDAS, BROWNING, SCHIFFMAN, BOLAND, 
ANTHONY, NESS 
STATE PASS USTR - MENDENHALL, MCCOY, ESPINEL, CELICO 
USDOJ FOR SUSSMAN 
DHS/CPP FOR PIZZECK 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIPR KJUS KCRM ECON ETRD CH
SUBJECT: Shenzhen Optical Disc Forensics Lab Clarifies Its 
Capabilities and Procedures: Doing Less With More 
 
REF: A) Beijing 2542; B) 05 Beijing 19671 
 
(U) This message is sensitive but unclassified.  Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Located in Shenzhen but falling under the 
authority of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the Disc 
Production Source Identification Center (DPSIC) is 
responsible for etching source identification (SID) codes 
onto production dies and analyzing optical discs to 
determine their source dies.  DPSIC holds China's only 
complete exemplar library of optical discs produced in China 
and is also the only lab to house sound spectrogram and 
optical media "fingerprinting" equipment to conduct forensic 
analysis.  The lab can only identify discs produced on 
legally registered production lines.  On-site inspectors 
from the General Administration of Press and Publications 
(GAPP) are posted at every optical disc replicating facility 
in China in order to monitor disc titles and production 
equipment.  A GAPP official criticized the accuracy and 
timeliness of the list of suspected counterfeiting lines 
provided by the USG in late 2005.  The lab's director, 
though open in discussing technical and procedural issues, 
expressed no interest in formally cooperating with foreign 
industry groups.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On May 19, Embassy Economic Minister Counselor 
Robert Luke, Embassy Legal Attache William Liu, Post 
Economic-Political Chief, and Post Economic Officer visited 
DPSIC to learn about the lab's technical capabilities, 
documentary requirements, and potential for future 
cooperation.  The meeting had been in the works since 
November 2005.  Many of the questions raised were submitted 
by the Embassy beforehand, some of which were provided by 
representatives of International Federation of the 
Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the Motion Picture 
Association (MPA).  Attending on the Chinese side were Lin 
Cang, DPSIC director; Xiang Zejun, DPSIC vice director; Lu 
Zhou, Division Chief of Press and Publication's Office of 
Printing and Reproducing Industry Management in Beijing; Lin 
Zhaonan, staff in MPS's American and Oceanian Affairs 
Division's International Cooperation Department in Beijing; 
Zhang Jun, division chief in MPS's Social Order Division in 
Beijing; Liu Zhuo, deputy director of the Shenzhen Press and 
Publication Office; and Wang Xiaoyin, chief operating 
officer of Shenzhen Zhicheng Wei Optical Disc Production 
Ltd. 
 
Background on the Lab 
--------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) DPSIC falls directly under the Ministry of Public 
Security (MPS).  It was founded in December 1997 and began 
operations in February 1999.  DPSIC moved to a new facility 
in Shenzhen in early 2006.  The facility occupies two floors 
of an MPS-owned office building on the edge of the city. 
DPSIC contact information is as follows: Address: No. 1, 1st 
Xia Meilin Street, 12th Floor, Futian Area, Shenzhen, PRC 
518049; Tel: 0755-8319-6000, Fax: 0755-8319-8038; Email: 
discgov@vip.163.com; Website: www.discgov.com. 
 
SID Etching and Identification 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) According to Lin Cang, DPSIC director, the lab 
etches SID codes onto production dies for optical disc 
manufacturers in China, and has etched approximately 1,300 
SID codes since December 2000.  An MPS lab in Shanghai also 
etches SID codes.  DPSIC has a library that includes all 
exemplars in China, including those etched in the Shanghai 
lab.  The Shanghai lab does not store exemplars.  The 
General Administration of Press and Publication designs and 
authorizes SID codes for use.  SID codes help authorities 
identify factories where optical media is produced.  The SID 
code is stamped on each CD produced by the die with the SID 
etched on it.  It does not reflect the media content on the 
 
GUANGZHOU 00015230  002 OF 004 
 
 
disc.  Manufacturers are required to submit 10 disc samples 
to DPSIC within 15 days after the SID code has been etched. 
If the manufacturer does not submit samples, the local Press 
and Publications office will deny its annual registration. 
If a SID codes wears out from repeated use, the replacement 
die receives the same SID code.  However, the MPS Center is 
not responsible for ensuring that moulds with worn SID codes 
are replaced, or even ensuring that un-etched moulds are not 
substituted.  That is the responsibility of the GAPP 
personnel located in each production facility. 
 
Forensic Analysis: "Fingerprinting" and Sound Spectrum 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) DPSIC is the only lab in China that uses forensic 
analysis to identify source dies and issue inspection 
certificates, which can be used in court proceedings.  The 
lab ideally completes an analysis within 22 working days of 
application.  However, because of delays in receiving 
correct documentation and fees, as well as occasional 
difficulties in disc analysis, the process often takes 
longer.  (Note: U.S. media representatives have complained 
that delays average three months and sometimes much longer. 
End note.)  Since opening in 1999, DPSIC has issued 
approximately 2,000 inspection certificates from 400 
applications.  In 2005 alone, the lab issued 500 inspection 
certificates.  Lin said the number of cases involving 
foreign rights-holders was very small.  When asked for a 
more exact figure, he would only say that it was less than 
ten percent of the total. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Lin said up to 90 percent of the discs they receive 
have no identifiable SID code, sometimes because they have 
been intentionally rubbed off.  Discs originally produced as 
blank discs do not have SID codes, and most pirated discs 
produced at underground lines do not have SID codes.  In 
these cases, the lab relies on forensic analysis to identify 
the die used in production.  DPSIC conducts forensic 
analysis through both "fingerprinting" (identifying unique 
markings on the die) and sound spectrum analysis 
(determining differences in sound quality).  To conduct 
"fingerprinting" forensics, the lab uses software or, if the 
software analysis is not conclusive, microscopes.  DPSIC 
began providing sound spectrum analysis and issuing 
identification certificates in May 2003, and has thus far 
made approximately 50 such analyses.  The DPSIC facility 
houses two sound spectrogram machines.  When asked about 
DPSIC's ability to analyze pirated discs made overseas, Lin 
said the lab does not have foreign data and thus could not 
handle such cases.  DPSIC can only identify discs produced 
on legally registered production lines in China.  DPSIC 
officials appeared equally reluctant to accept Chinese discs 
seized overseas, saying that the evidentiary requirements of 
Chinese courts made it impossible to guarantee the chain of 
custody. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Those discs that have been submitted by foreign 
rights holders have been submitted through a Chinese law 
office.  DPSIC staff indicated that this would continue to 
be the required procedure in the future.  When Legat 
inquired whether the USG could submit suspected counterfeit 
discs to the MPS requesting the Center's analysis, Lin 
replied that the Center would not accept them, and did not 
take instructions from the MPS. 
 
¶8. (SBU) All of the DPSIC staff have university degrees in 
either computer science or forensics.  They must also pass 
an MPS certification exam.  Occasionally, MPS specialists 
are called in to assist in difficult cases. 
 
Replicators and On-Site Inspectors 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) DPSIC keeps a record of every optical disc 
production machine imported into China.  Approximately 90 
replicators currently operate in China, with 400 production 
 
GUANGZHOU 00015230  003 OF 004 
 
 
lines.  Press and Publications employs at least one on-site 
inspector at every replicating facility in China.  These 
inspectors verify that the titles and content of discs are 
approved, monitor the number of discs produced, and record 
replacements of dies and other equipment.  On-site 
inspectors are rotated every two to three years and the 
replicating facility has no say in their selection. 
Companies must receive approval from Press and Publications, 
Ministry of Commerce, and Customs to import a production 
machine.  (Note: However, the machinery from production 
lines seized underground have been resold at auctions, the 
tracking of which is unknown.  Twenty-one illegal production 
lines were seized in Guangdong Province in 2005.  End note.) 
 
Case Submission and Fees 
------------------------ 
 
¶10. (SBU) Only domestic entities can submit optical discs 
for analysis, thus foreign rights-holders must use a Chinese 
legal representative.  When asked why this requirement 
exists, Lin said it reduces potential legal complications. 
SPDIC requires four separate items in order to accept a 
case: three copies of the pirated disc; legal identification 
of the submitting entity; copyright registration; and 
business registration.  DPSIC does not require any copies of 
genuine discs, which had been the understanding of some 
foreign industry representatives.  However, it does ask that 
these be provided when possible for comparison.  When asked 
why clients must submit identification, copyright, and 
business evidence, even if they are a well-known company and 
a repeat client of the lab, Lin simply stated that the 
procedures must be followed by all clients, each time.  When 
asked why three copies of a pirated disc are required, a 
sometimes difficult requirement to meet, he said this 
improves the accuracy of lab analysis. 
 
¶11. (SBU) The cost of submitting an application is RMB 100 
(USD 12).  This fee covers an initial exam, which determines 
whether the lab will be able to reach a conclusive result in 
the case.  If the lab decides to accept the case, it charges 
an additional RMB 1,900 (USD 237) upon completion of the 
analysis.  If the lab accepts the case but fails to reach a 
result, it does not charge the additional fee.  Forms and 
instructions for filling them out are now available on-line. 
 
¶12. (SBU) DPSIC does not pass test results to Chinese 
authorities or initiate cases on behalf of rights-holders. 
It merely passes the results back to the submitting entity, 
which must then pursue action on its own behalf through 
administrative or criminal channels. 
 
No Coordination with Foreign Associations or Governments 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) When asked whether DPSIC is interested in 
cooperating with foreign industry groups, Lin said it was 
not.  In particular, Lin said, the Center has no authority 
to release exemplars in its library to foreign associations 
for use in forensics analysis overseas.  He said DPSIC has 
not worked with foreign law enforcement agencies, courts, or 
customs offices in the past.  As an explanation, he stated 
several times that DPSIC must maintain strict independence 
in its work and must not be influenced by outside forces. 
He said MPS's Foreign Affairs Office controls all of the 
lab's contacts with foreign entities but acknowledged he had 
met foreign industry association representatives on an 
informal basis.  When asked about coordination with domestic 
organizations, Lin said lab staff occasionally receive 
briefings from them but also avoids close cooperation. 
Interestingly, a business representative from a local media 
company was present at the meeting. 
 
2005 USG List of Suspected Counterfeit Production Lines 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) When asked about the Chinese response to the USG's 
 
GUANGZHOU 00015230  004 OF 004 
 
 
submission of lists of suspected counterfeit optical disc 
production lines in 2005, Lu Zhou, Press and Publications 
representative from Beijing, said any future requests should 
be handled through the JCCT process, but added the 
information should be more accurate and timely.  Lu said 
some of the 2005 information was more than five years old 
and some was mistaken and/or repetitive.  He said 46 percent 
of the document's information was unreliable.  Lu added that 
he welcomes industry groups to provide up-to-date 
information on which Chinese companies foreign media 
companies have contracts with who are authorized to sell and 
produce in China, in order to assist enforcement officials. 
He added he had made this suggestion to U.S. industry groups 
on two separate occasions, but so far there has been no 
response. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Zhang Jun, division chief in MPS's Social Order 
Division, said MPS investigations have uncovered 223 
counterfeit optical disc production lines in China thus far. 
 
Recommendations for Foreign Rights-Holders 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶16. (SBU) Lin and DPSIC staff recommended that foreign 
rights-holders collect evidence with the utmost care, 
sealing items until court proceedings and hiring notaries 
(in China notaries are public officials whose testimony in 
court carries official weight) to corroborate information. 
Lu added that companies should not accumulate cases and send 
them to DPSIC in batches -- rather, they should send cases 
as they develop in order to reduce bottlenecks in the 
system. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶17. (SBU) Foreign industry groups and company 
representatives have described DPSIC as opaque and 
uncooperative.  In discussions leading up to this visit, 
industry representatives were even uncertain as to what 
types of forensic analysis the lab conducts.  Industry is 
particularly frustrated with DPSIC's requirement that only 
domestic entities submit cases, the burdensome evidentiary 
requirement for submissions, and the long waits to obtain 
results (one year in at least one case).  Though the visit 
request took months before MPS finally approved it, and the 
lab director expressed an unwillingness to cooperate with 
industry groups, this meeting nevertheless may open the door 
to future dialogue with this important link in China's 
copyright enforcement chain.  DPSIC officials now understand 
that industry and USG interest in the lab is not malicious, 
but rather aimed at clarifying technical and procedural 
issues that have caused unnecessary confusion. 
 
¶18. (SBU) Embassy Beijing has cleared this cable. 
 
DONG