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View Full Version : MPAA Hires Dogs To Sniff Out Illegal DVDs



johnnymk
09-23-2006, 06:03 PM
You read it here first:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2019077,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532



LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - This time, Hollywood really has gone to the dogs.

The Motion Picture Association of America on Thursday unveiled its latest tool in the war on movie piracy: a pair of DVD-sniffing Labrador Retrievers named Lucky and Flo.

The MPAA, which represents the major U.S. movie studios in government and legal affairs, claims the illegal copying of movies and television shows on DVDs and other media cost them more than $6.1 billion in lost revenues in 2005.

Of that total, about $2.4 billion was lost to copying movies to videocassettes, DVDs or video CDs. In recent years, the organization has waged a vigorous battle against global piracy.

In July, for instance, the MPAA and foreign government officials wrapped up "Operation Red Card," which resulted in the seizure of some 6.7 million pirated discs in 12 countries across the Asia-Pacific region.


The job for Lucky and Flo will be to sniff out optical discs in luggage or other containers, and stop the discs from getting to manufacturing plants where they can be reproduced.

But before they begin their new job, Lucky and Flo will go on a world tour of cities such as Hong Kong and Singapore, just as movie stars go on tour to promote their latest films.

They will travel throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Mexico and even visit Dubai in the Middle East to showcase their talents to customs agents and other officials.

And, of course, they will make a stop in Hollywood

RoniMan
09-23-2006, 06:24 PM
now it's gonna be RUFF to bring pirated dvds back home from china.

:P

Jeffbx
09-25-2006, 06:06 AM
WOAH - that's crazy. How in the heck does the MPAA have the kind of pull to equate movie pirating with drug smuggling?

Now, I can understand if they want to use these dogs to investigate suspected activity - like sniffing shipping containers they believe might have large quantities of pirated DVDs. But when they mention luggage??? Am I to understand that I should submit to a search if an MPAA dog smells a burned DVD in my briefcase at the airport? F that business. I don't go ANYWHERE without a whole batch of burned CDs and DVDs (and no, none of them are movies!), and it'll be a cold day when I agree to let an airport official look for pirated material in my bag.

Look for drugs, look for raw fruit, look for large amounts of cash if you must, but let's keep it to items that compromise national security, shall we? I could give a rip about the MPAA & RIAA's quest to fleece the public with their frivolous & questionable lawsuits.