A warning to DVD pirates: make sure your vehicle and driver registration details are up to date and accurate. The Motion Picture Ass. of America (MPAA) and the Los Angeles police this week busted a major counterfeiting operation after traffic cops were given false driver ID information.

LAPD officers pulled over a motorist spotted sporting expired registration plates. He was found to have no driving licence - he'd left it in his apartment, he claimed - and provided what turned out to be a false date of birth. As a result, the police impounded the vehicle. Their suspicions were then further aroused when they uncovered evidence of possible DVD piracy.

The subsequent investigation took them to the driver's home, where a 3am raid led to the discovery of 12,000 pirate DVDs, 42 DVD writers and 20 VCRs - a "significant" haul, the MPAA claimed.

Three men where later charged with violating California state law by failing to disclose truthfully the origin of a recording. ®

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