Hey, could you burn that for me?

Someone go and tell that bootlegger who’s been copying DVDs and selling them on the street to get rid of his stock immediately – RFID is about to put him out of business.

Copying and piracy will be prevented through tracking chips that manufacturers will soon embed into the discs.

Home DVD players will eventually be able to check on the chip embedded in a disc, and refuse to play discs which are copied or played in the 'wrong' geographical region, the companies behind the technology expect.

"This technology holds the potential to protect the intellectual property of music companies, film studios, gaming and software developers worldwide," said Gordon Yeh, chief executive of Ritek Corporation – which happens to be the world’s largest DVD maker, banging out 500 million pre-recorded discs a month.