Bootleg-Sniffing Dogs Thrown Off The Scent

from the what-next-for-lucky-and-flo? dept

Mon, Mar 26th 2007 1:01pm — Joseph Weisenthal

The story about the MPAA's bootleg-sniffing wonder dogs, Lucky and Flo, continues to get more ridiculous. You'll recall that in the last episode, the MPAA had just put out word that DVD pirates had put a bounty on the two dogs, because they were just so good at what they did. Whether this was true or not (and we certainly have our suspicions), the news only added to the dogs' mystique, since it meant they were truly working under the same life-threatening conditions as super heroes. Since then, officials have been coy about the location of the dogs, which is top secret for security reasons. The latest plot twist is that DVD pirates are now using scent-masking chemicals to throw off the dogs. Once again, this seems a little hard to believe, but it's really clear where the MPAA is taking all of this. In the next episode, Lucky and Flo are going to gain even more superpowers, which will allow them to detect the scent-masking chemicals. Or maybe they'll forgo the power of smell altogether and develop x-ray vision. We always knew that the MPAA was good at creating suspenseful plots -- but they need to work on the believability part.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

24 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Jezsik, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:13pm

Coming soon to a TV near you!
Why do I have a feeling we'll be seeing a kids cartoon starring these two canines? Maybe they can produce it in Canada and have a tie-in with Captain Copyright! Hey, I might even consider downloading an episode to see if it's any good.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
lavi d (profile), 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:16pm

In the Next Exciting Episode...
Lucky and Flo testify before Congress about the need for digital watermarks in all blank CD/DVD media.

And get snacks.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
TheDock22, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:25pm

Interesting...
Did anyone else see the MythBusters where they tried to outsmart a blood-hound with colognes and other tricks, but found out the canine is actually tracking your skin cells that fall off when you run rather then any scent you leave behind?

So....I doubt that masking the DVD's or CD's are going to throw these dogs off the scent. I'm still not sure how they can sniff out pirated DVD's compared to a normal ones, but that's another argument.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- ehrichweiss, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:34pm
  
  Re: Interesting...
  I saw that Mythbusters but noted also that they only used black pepper instead of the pepper actually used in the "myth" which was cayenne or any stronger pepper. Of course the reason is that black pepper doesn't do anything whereas cayenne is like inhaling mace, and the Mythbusters suck for a "scientific" team; their "busted" Tesla earthquake machine episode really proved this since there's such a device in the demolition business known as a "servo unit" but they get more episodes if they claim it's busted and then have to revisit it. They're ENTERTAINMENT television, not education by any means.
  
  Anyway, cayenne pepper would work on a hound just the same as it would work if it were sprayed in your face, only more so for the hound.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Phillip, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:43pm
    
    Re: Re: Interesting...
    Actually it did work, however, if you remember, the handler figured out that something had been done to mask the scent so he started circling the building to find the scent again leading away.
    
    But in the building the dog did not know where he went, and may or may not have found the trail on his own. However, the handler combined with the dog were able to get it right. The ones that completely failed was cologne & coffee grinds as well as a shower and new clothes, crossing the river, and weaving and climbing a tree.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Cunk, 26 Mar 2007 @ 2:43pm
    
    Re: Re: Interesting...
    While I'll agree MB is more entertainment than science, it's still good entertainment mixed with plenty of sound scientific & engineering lessons. The methods they use to solve problems generally utilize valid engineering skills.
    
    And please link this demolition "servo unit" you refer to. I'm curious about this now.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Andrew, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:52pm
  
  Re: Interesting...
  I wondered about deciding on pirated versus regular DVDs, but saw one demonstration where they detected a stack of DVDs in boxes labeled canned vegetables or something. Being hidden inside some other package is probably a pretty good indication they aren't legit.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2007 @ 2:59pm
  
  Re: Interesting...
  i saw that one. it is true that the dogs sniff the skin cells. i geuss they can have some chemical that is so strong that they dont smell it.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Conan the Contrarian, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:26pm

All Part of the Evil Plot
Maybe Lucky and Flo have actually been trained to detect scent-masking chemicals, so when the evil DVD pirates start using them, then our heroes actually WILL be able to detect fake DVDs.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Matthew, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:29pm

This WAS Malaysia...
The "Hit" put on the dogs was more likely a cuisine issue than anti-anti-theft chacanery.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sanguine Dream, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:37pm

Greetings true believers...
Did they hire some comic story writer wannabe as the PR person to spin this or what?

Any idiot knows that at best the dogs are trained to sniff out ALL cds and then the dog handlers somehow manage to have the right to check the cds to see if they are legit.

So are these dogs trained and handled by the police or what?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
bornBlippy, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:41pm

Great.....
Next they will train dogs to sniff out pirated MP3s.....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Casper, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:50pm

In related news...
..a family on vacation was attacked by two large dogs after the father pulled a stack of DVD-R's from his fanny pack to record his sons first steps. More at 11.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- AZIZA, 26 Mar 2007 @ 4:04pm
  
  Re: In related news...
  ..a family on vacation was attacked by two large dogs after the father pulled a stack of DVD-R's from his fanny pack to record his sons first steps. More at 11.
  
  He must have been doing something wrong, or the MPAA attack dogs never would have picked up on his scent in the first place. Sorry, couldn't resist...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:54pm

ZOMG what will they do next? There better be ninjas involved soon
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
zcat, 26 Mar 2007 @ 1:59pm

Apparently they sniff for polycarbonates, the plastic used to make CDs and DVDs.

They can't (of course!) tell the difference between pirated and genuine disks. The ASSumption is that genuine DVDs are only ever sent in MPAA-approved shipments and anything sent any other way is most likely pirated.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- TheDock22, 26 Mar 2007 @ 2:06pm
  
  Re:
  Ahhh...okay. That makes more sense than wondering if some dogs are going to bust my impressive, but completely legit movie collection.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
sean, 26 Mar 2007 @ 2:22pm

Now Dock you will be fine as long as you do not start buying large amounts of blank media
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- TheDock22, 26 Mar 2007 @ 2:24pm
  
  Re:
  Now Dock you will be fine as long as you do not start buying large amounts of blank media
  
  Uh-oh, looks like I'm in the "dog house" again. =)
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2007 @ 3:04pm

Is this a publicity stunt by the MPAA for that Underdog movie that is coming out soon?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 26 Mar 2007 @ 4:24pm

wts [Fishy Hot Dog]
wts [Fishy Hot Dog] - 99g
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Brad, 26 Mar 2007 @ 10:56pm

Claim in the article....
What I love best, is this quote from the article:

"1 million pirated DVDs, CDs and computer game discs worth $2.8 million in an office complex on March 19."

1M DVDs, CDs, and Computer Game discs @ $2.8M....

That means they had a value of $2.80/ea (on average). Either they've given up on the claim that every pirated copy is a lost sale, or they're admitting that a complete movie, album, or computer disc is only actually "worth" $2.80. Either way, they're admitting that $750/mp3 is no longer a valid claim. Thanks, MPAA!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Swiss Cheese Monster, 26 Mar 2007 @ 10:57pm

Does this mean that the super friends are going to be getting a couple of dogs?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 27 Mar 2007 @ 8:05am

RE: zcat
"Apparently they sniff for polycarbonates, the plastic used to make CDs and DVDs."
I thought maybe it was the ink in the blanks. I would think that is what the strong smell is when you open the 100 pack of dvds.
Note to people going on vacation. Do not bring blanks for the DVD camcorder. You will be sniffed out by the blank patrol! Lets not forget you can not bring the purchased then used in camcorder disks back either... There go all our holiday memorys...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]