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12/25/2004 10:53:26 AM · #1 |
OK, bear with me here. My daughter, smartypants, got a button maker for Christmas. We were using some photos this morning to make buttons when she decided she wanted to get some prints made specifically sized to cut the button cutouts. We hi-jacked several Simpson's images from the Web, along with a few of our own pictures, and sent them in to Walgreens to have them printed (the only place we know of where they're printing on Xmas day).
Walgreens called and said that since the order contained "professional materials" they couldn't print them. I specified that he was talking about the material that was obviously copyrighted - Simpsons - and it was, but it was more than that. The other photos, he said, were "professional" and they couldn't print them. Several of the techs looked at them and agreed that they were professional material.
I agree completely with the issue over the Simpsons images. I should have known better from the start. But here are the other images, all taken either today, or in the recent past with my daughter's Coolpix 4300:
  
The middle image is of the Overture Center in Madison and was not button-bound, she had just never gotten a print of it before.
Was he just being very conservative because I was trying to print copyrighted (simpsons) material? Do the other shots really look that professionl? Are they so accustomed to looking at snaps that anything that's been through photoshop is pro?
I ended up having to cancel the whole order, they wouldn't print any of it. Anyone had a similar experience with Walgreens? We usually do all our printing at a local camera shop and have never had a shot questioned before. |
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12/25/2004 10:59:15 AM · #2 |
| Stop tilting at windmills... Set up your own digital printing and stop worrying about big brother - like the "techs" at Walgreens are experts. All they know is how to hit the start button on the machine |
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12/25/2004 11:04:55 AM · #3 |
I certainly understand the deal with the Simpsons. But, while you do have good shots, there is no reason for the people at Walgreens to refuse to print them because they "look professional". If that's the case, I guess Walgreens is saying that they're dedicated to only making ugly prints. Did you try explaining to them that they are your own pictures?
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12/25/2004 11:18:09 AM · #4 |
| The manager should have a release available, whereon you can attest that you are the copyright-holder of the work you are printing. |
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12/25/2004 11:20:18 AM · #5 |
Brian - I did explain that they were my own shots, taken with my own camera, but he had clearly already decided that he wasn't going to print them so there was nothing left but for me to OK the credit back to my card.
Paul - he did mention the release, but didn't offer to have me come over and sign it. I think he was spooked by the combination of my attempt at copyright infringement, and the incredibly dazzling "professional" photos I was trying to print.
;-) |
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12/25/2004 11:22:43 AM · #6 |
The pictures are certainly of adequate quality to be professional.
Walgreens (and other quick printing places) need to be cautious about not violating copyrights. If they are found to be printing images that are in violation of copyright laws, they, along with the customer, will likely get sued by the copyright holder and as the "deep pockets defendant", Walgreens will lose a lot more than the customer. The employess accepting and filling such an order would almost certainly be terminated (and rightly so). Since these print orders came in as part of a larger order that clearly was a violation of copyright, I can understand how they could view the whole order as suspect.
I used to work in a minilab, and you would be surprised at how many people would try to get things printed that they clearly did not own the copyright for. I had one individual insist that his name was indeed "Olan Mills" and that it would be perfectly legal for me to make 100 wallets from a copy negative he'd made.
Personally, I'm glad, as a photographer, that Walgreens would err on the side of caution here. If I found that someone was getting illegal prints of my images made without a release from me, I would be very upset. At the very least, I would threaten legal action. I would probably follow through depending on the degree of the offense.
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12/25/2004 01:18:31 PM · #7 |
| Thanks Dan, I'm sure your assessment is correct. The guy on the phone with me was probably the store manager (who drew Christmas day duty, no less) and he was just listening to what the guy running the machine was saying. They're probably drilled to err on the side of caution every time. |
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12/25/2004 02:53:37 PM · #8 |
It's terrible that America is the nation of lawsuits :(
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12/25/2004 03:01:20 PM · #9 |
It's pretty simple: some of the images were clearly copyrighted. He "caught" those. The others were much better pictures than he is used to seeing, and he didn't trust you that these were "yours", because he "knew" already you had attempted copyright infringment. I'd do the same thing in his place, probably, if I took my job seriously.
I tend to look at it as a "good thing."
But it's silly not to print your own. You can get perfectly decent photo printers for under 100 bux, that will tide you over nicely until you can spring for an archival printer. It's SO much more interesting and real-time when you do it yourself, and you learn a lot.
(robt)
NICE piece of architectural photography, by the way. That's how I earned my living for over 20 years. That shot's a keeper.
I bet the deal-breaker for him was the mannequins with the type overlay; that shot distinctly has the look of something that might have been pirated, it reeks of it, LOL. I bet if you posted it up somewhere public it WOULD get ripped off, repeatedly :-)
Message edited by author 2004-12-25 20:04:24.
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12/25/2004 04:55:07 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by faidoi:
It's terrible that America is the nation of lawsuits :( |
Yes, it's terrible that in many ways the threat of a lawsuit is the only way to protect your rights to something you created.
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12/25/2004 05:15:54 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
Originally posted by faidoi:
It's terrible that America is the nation of lawsuits :( |
Yes, it's terrible that in many ways the threat of a lawsuit is the only way to protect your rights to something you created. |
.....or want to create. |
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12/25/2004 05:18:03 PM · #12 |
ahh cmon America isn't the 'nation of lawsuits'. There are plenty of reasonable, respectable good thinking people in this country that get overlooked because the few idiots make the news.
Anyways I work in a minilab (well for 2 more days) but it's true on how many people try to print copyrighted images! They'll scan them in to be printed, or send prints through over the internet. Some people play stupid like sorry i didn't know, and im sure some people really arent aware it was illegal, but I think it's good what Walgreen's did anyways. I would not be cool with someone if they did that to me, although I don't know that filing suit would be my actions...
then again i dont actually make money off of taking photos at this point. |
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12/25/2004 07:39:29 PM · #13 |
| I own a small studio and will often give negatives or in most cases, the digital image to my customers. What I did to prevent this problem is, I went to a couple of the mini-labs such as Sam's Club and explained who I was and that I don't have any problem with my customers getting prints on their own. They are instructed to mention my name or the name of my business and they won't have any problems. |
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12/26/2004 08:53:26 AM · #14 |
You could always just print them at a kiosk. Put your print on the top. They aren't going to ask to thumb through your photos, they'll just want to know how many to charge you for and it prints a receipt for that anyway I think...
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