May 10th, 2006
Dogs Sniff Out Pirated DVDs
By Michael Santo
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews
Drug-sniffing dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs are so yesterday. Now we have DVD-sniffing dogs, to sniff out any pirated CDs and DVDs. These dogs, currently only 2 in the world (Lucky and Flo, pictured above) were trained by an alliance of companies including the Motion Picture Association of America and the Federation Against Copyright Theft.
“Someone had the wise idea that maybe dogs could sniff out DVDs,” Kori Bernards, MPAA spokeswoman, told ABC News. “There are a lot of pirated products that go in and out of Heathrow Airport and airports around the world.”
The dogs have had some success so far, according to the MPAA. But there is still more training that needs to be done. At this point, the dogs alert police to any CD or DVD they smell in packages and bags. Customs officials in the U.K. hope one day the dogs will only signal when there are large collections of discs, which would more likely include illegally copied movies. Source: ABC News
We Say: The dogs seem to be overly sensitive now, so I’d watch myself if I were you and going through the Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom, where they currently work. Still, they can’t detect movies ripped to your laptop or tracks ripped to your iPod yet. 
Lewie says:
Timmy: Look Lassie, I ripped a copy of Old Yeller off the net.
Lassie: Grrrrrr.
May 10th, 2006 at 9:45 am
Bill M says:
So what? I list the box’s manifest as “blank disks”. They have no probable cause to open the box because a dog sniffed out what is on the manifest.
This is just more intimidation FUD BS from the RIAA.
May 10th, 2006 at 10:38 am
recycledelectrons says:
What they are really saying is that the MPAA is going to use illegal tactics to prevent anyone who does not pay them protection money from importing a DVD…ergo…you can not buy foreign movies.
This will not stop until we shoot up a few of their shareholders’ meetings.
May 10th, 2006 at 2:35 pm
Mikey says:
Now, now, no incitement to violence please. The RIAA/MPAA is just doing what they were paid to do… Which is to use the money to bribe politicians into protecting the RIAA/MPAA’s members from -perceved-
piracy. This is so funny…you just can’t make this stuff up.
Using dogs to search for pirated dvd’s kind of looks like they want the same results as “the War on Drugs”.
Wonder if and when they’ll start using the “other” tools in that kit. Like the one over here stateside that lets Law Enforcement sieze all your assets if you are arrested on drug charges… Does nothing to eliminate the problem, yet makes lawyers and LAWMAKERS ever richer, and farther removed from the same public they’re sworn to represent.
May 11th, 2006 at 9:59 am