Who knew that DVDs even had a distinctive smell? The MPAA in its never-ending quest to keep the world safe from a pirated copy of Star Wars is enlisting well-trained labradors.

It is now clear that is no longer easy to tell fact from fiction. The net gives everything equal authority, and it’s often impossible to figure out what’s true. MPAA Uses Dogs to Find Pirated DVDs.

If the MPAA story is fact, it’s ridiculous at about 17 levels. If it’s fiction, then it further reinforces the notion that news about everything is suspect.

[UPDATES: Martin says it’s true. Travis says that handburnt DVDs smell different than mass produced ones.]