Sorry sir, you can’t have your photos
David Pogue (the best tech writer in the entire world, if I do say so myself) is blogging that Target is not allowing people to pick up thier pictures if they look too professional.
I showed up at Target’s Photo Center in my small town [to pick up my personal photos]. The very sweet young girl found my envelope, but it had a note attached to it. The note said, “Ask for Copyright release for the 2 pictures lying on the dryer rack. [...]
I proceeded to explain to her, as I had to the sweet teenager and the assistant, that one is a picture of my husband, and the other has ME IN IT with a camera! Surely that doesn’t appear to be professional staging. The manager reiterated, I’m sorry.[...]
I asked her if there was any paperwork I could fill out, swearing authorship of the pictures. She reiterated, I’m sorry. Then she wandered off.
Thanks to Luka for sending this in- I just loved the comment attache to the email:
Awesome, [I] can’t wait till you start getting CD/DVD burner drives with ’smart’ firmware that recognizes the video / audio you’re trying to record isn’t jittery / clickety enough, so you must be pirating some copyrighted material
Can they legally do that?
This has happened to me at walmart before…… which is one of the reasons why I only shoot in raw format now.
This is going too far, I submitted this to digg btw..
Yeah, its legal (or at least they think so). They do it all the time, but its usually more of a censorship type of thing (i.e. they filter out pictures with questionable content). The fact that someone at the Walmart photo counter is given the power to decide which of my/your pictures should be printed, should concern us all. Where do they draw the line? Is a keg of beer in the background of picture of a party questionable? Or how about a picture of your girl that the employee thinks shows a little too much cleavage?
I’m sure they legally can withhold them as long as they don’t charge you for them then.
ya id wanna see the legality on this one, if it is your film and they develop it but wont release it to you, it isnt like you can get the film back unless you have the advantax system crap, what the hell is going on with them…..i call for a boycott…who’s with me….
I work at a photo processing plant and I only heard of a case where a person took a photo of a photo and was not allowed to receive it without a copyright release form. But if it was taken with your on film and then they shouldn’t be allowed to keep it. If they insist on keeping it then ask for your film back. They are not allowed to keep the film and ask them to destroy the prints in front of you so that you know that they are not recoverable.
Its the law in Vermont that you have to have a copyright release form on professional prints if you want copies of prints made. But if you yourself is the photographer it shouldn’t matter because you took it yourself. Next time try sending it to Kodak to be processed. They shouldn’t give you any trouble.
For the ten thousandth time, do not shop at walmart or target. This policy is INSANE.
what is this saying? Only mediocracy is supported anything in advance of that is penalized or prohibited? No wonder why america is going down the toilet in those places where walmart rules over the drones.
I guess they haven’t bumped into somebody that will barbeque their lovely little photoshop as revenge?
I’d say give it time.
‘Sorry, but you are not allowed to look pretty in pictures’
They do this to me at Sam’s Club when I use their Frontier system for cheap proofs before I send things off to the prolab. It’s not a big deal for me, as they have a form from me “on file.” It can be a problem when my clients receive their final prints and their digital images. If they try to print them, they’ll be stopped. That’s why I always include a copyright release form with the prints.
Can we get an adress for this store. i would love to send a letter.
I agree with uneasy amercian. Walmart represents everything that is wrong with america and shopping there supports the demise of your own economy. Americans have plenty of money to pay back into their own economy and not have to resort to undercutting prices from abroad for regular products just to save a few pennies. Save your country instead!
the article: http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=61
Kristin, what does shooting in raw do for you to avoid this issue? If you’re shooting raw you’ll still need to convert to jpg/tiff before you can send the photo off to be printed.
I have been using Walgreens and have not run into this problem as of yet. The staff there recognizes me and often comments on my photos, but has never said “I’m Sorry, you can’t have your photos.” I bet this one would be a great one to take them to court over, and in court they could be asked how they know that the pictures in exhibit “A” are not yours. This is just an attempt by Target to CTA …(like CYA but for them). The problem is they have no CSI type investigation lab to determine if you are the one who took the picture. The pictures you are uploading probably have the EXIF information in the files and they could compare that to your camera’s information, but that would require some training on their part. So I would suggest you find a Walgreens in your area, go talk to them about submitting photos, and get to know them. Good luck on your future photo pickup visits.
Just write yourself a release letter, saying that your releasing any copyright to yourself.
I’ve heard enough horror stories (see comments). Mostly it seems like a haughty clerk throwing his weight around.
[...] Una altra conseqüència del món del copyright xocant amb les tecnologies actuals: (A USA) vas a una botiga a imprimir una foto, i si estàmolt ben feta no te la imprimeixen perquè potser no l’has feta tu. [...]
My girlfriend and I have use Kodak’s ofoto.com to print our pictures and every once in a while one of our photos will be flagged as a possible copyrighted photo. An email stating we are the orignal photographers usually gets it through. So I understand the policy, I just don’t understand why they don’t have the proper forms or documents to get the pictures printed.
This is entirely legal. Target and Wal-Mart are private companies and can decide not to offer their service if they wish. They are, however, required to return any originals which would include negatives. Many photo printing establishments have similar policies to reduce the likelihood of them being sued for copyright infringement. If they assist someone in infringing the copyright, they can be sued. While some employees can take this to far and avoid employing common sense, the policy itself is not inherently wrong. If you’re really upset, complain about the litigous nature of our society which led to these policies.
I work at a Walmart Photo Lab. The reason this is done is to protect Walmart from bein sued for copyright infringment. Although you can sign that you are the photographer and then print them because Walmart does not have proof that you are not the photographer and has a document signed by you that they are yours.
Sam’s club has issues too – I have used the option to have a CD created of my pictures. Saves me time if I want to mail one off to family. However, I brought the CD home and attempted to use it on my laptop and could not view the photos if I didn’t use Sam Club’s photo software. AND I could not save them to any other format etc. If you create a CD with Sam’s Club, they are the only place you can print from that CD.
This is just another example of how this country is going down the crapper fast. The land of the free. I think not. The Corporate States of America. You can’t smoke anywhere (i am a non-smoker, but still opposed to someone telling them where they can and can’t), you can’t make a copy of a cd, you can’t copy a movie and you cannot make coments against the government without someone knocking down your door… hey how did you get in hre / Where is your warrant… Further comments censored. We are watching you
omg…
http://www.polikua.com/archives/2005/03/31/2275/
Same thing happened to me at WalMart. I edited a photo in Photoshop and added some text to give as a gift. Morons thought I had taken a photo of a $4.99 full size poster to make a 8×10 copy for $4.74.
It’s not the clerk’s or store’s fault, here’s why:
The professional photographers association sends undercover people in to stores, and attempt to make copies of copyrighted photos using the Kodak picture maker or other forms. If the clerk or store does not flag the order, then they can both be fined. Currently there ar no limits to the dollar amount they can seek. Some companies and individuals have been fined in excess of $25,000. I know, I work in a photo lab, and it’s no joke. I have had to stop people from producing photos that were obviously not theirs. Sorry, I do not have $25,000 so some retard can make copies of their shitty Glamor Shots.
it is b.s. to not get the photos, but why is anyone taking their film to target, if you act like part of the herd you will be treated like one.
I’ve heard of something similar (if not the same case) a little less than a year ago. Walmart never stopped me…yet
If they are their own photos, couldn’t they just write themselves up a copyright release?
I just have to echo others here. If you keep shopping at places like Target, WalMart, Sam’s Club you must expect the worst. Always. And remember that what you think is the worst that could happen is often mild compared to what these stores will think up. Keep being sheep and this country will continue to go down the drain. I NEVER, and I mean NEVER, shop at these stores.
i knew that usa was a free country, i had been wrong