MPAA Uses Dogs to Find Pirated DVDs

Due to large volumes of pirated DVDs, apparently the Motion Picture Association of America has no option but to resort to canine measures. That is why the MPAA, FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft), FedEx and HM Revenue & Customs have joined forced to help combat DVD piracy.

This is not about some hi-tech sensors or sophisticated systems; this is about two Labradors, Lucky and Flo.

The dogs were trained over an eight month period to identify DVDs that may be located in boxes, envelopes or other packaging, as well as discs concealed amongst other goods which could be sold illegally in the UK. These DVDs are often smuggled by criminal networks involved in large scale piracy operations from around the world.

For their first major live test, Lucky and Flo were put to work at FedEx’s UK hub at Stansted Airport and were immediately successful in identifying packages and parcels containing DVDs for destinations in the UK. Luckily for the senders, none of them was counterfeited.

"This is the first time dogs have been used anywhere in the world to search for counterfeit DVDs and the results were amazing," said Raymond Leinster Director General of FACT.

Trevor Hoyle, UK Managing Director, send a clear message to those involved in piracy operations.

"While all were legitimate shipments on the day, our message to anyone thinking about shipping counterfeit DVDs through the FedEx network is simple: you’re going to get caught," he said.

It’s interesting to notice that the press release doesn’t say anything about counterfeited CDs, which makes us wonder if Lucky and Flo are able to smell the difference between a CD and a DVD.

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