Police Dogs Sniff for Pirated DVDs

[Darth Sushi]

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 10, 2006 — There are drug-sniffing dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs, people-sniffing dogs, and now DVD-sniffing dogs.

An alliance of film industry groups that includes the Motion Picture Association of America and the Federation Against Copyright Theft has announced the world's first dogs specially trained to detect CDs and DVDs in bags and packages. The idea is that the dogs may be able to alert police to large stashes of pirated movies.

The MPAA says there are currently two DVD-sniffing dogs in the world. They are Labradors named Lucky and Flo working at Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom. The canines have been taught to recognize the unique smell of a compact disc.

"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.

For the time being, Lucky and Flo are working at a FedEx shipping center at Stansted Airport where they are sniffing packages that are shipped around the world. Trainers say the dogs have been notifying customs agents of packages with discs in them. The packages have been opened but so far no pirated movies have been found.

"We're encouraged by this. It's a new tool against piracy but we welcome it and hope others will adopt such practices," said Bernards.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/sto...1944531&page=1

[Hairbautt]

So the police are on the payrole of Hollywood now? I mean their are worse crimes out there...Why are we...nevermind.

[Damnatory]

Seems like just another attempt to infringe on the people's privacy. Opening packages shouldn't be allowed in any case, even if there happens to be drugs in them. Follow the package, get a search warrant, and present it to the person at the receiving end, then take action on the sender.

CD sniffing dogs are a rediculous idea anyway.

[Guillaume]

Those fecking dogs had better be good and be able to smell the difference between bought and burned dvds...
I'd hate to have my dvds blocked at fecking Stansted cause the dogs couldn't tell they are legal.

[Hairbautt]

Seems like just another attempt to infringe on the people's privacy.

Seriously~! It seems that anyone can just pry into your privacy now. I mean with the Bush Administration if they think you're a suspect your gonna be tapped with no consent.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/12/fee...rds/index.html
http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/att/
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/....ap/index.html
http://news.com.com/NSAs+data+mining...?tag=nefd.lede
http://news.com.com/Telecom+firms+di...l?tag=nefd.top

I feel like...I feel insignificant (which is good in some ways), but still...I dunno.

[Isaiah33]

damn hollywood has step to a very low standard just to bust people...

[Draugr]

Don't they have better things to do? Come on! DVD sniffing dogs? I'm sure people already feel safer knowing that soon their flights will be free of pirated DVD's!

[GepperRankins]

Those fecking dogs had better be good and be able to smell the difference between bought and burned dvds...
I'd hate to have my dvds blocked at fecking Stansted cause the dogs couldn't tell they are legal.

carry as many as you can, then when you get searched, act like a woman on heat

[Barbarossa]

That dog on the left looks fucking evil

[tweakerssuck]

Thank god we can still just send them over the internet for free and not have to worry about it. Idiots.