copyright release?

amadeus

I hand out 4x6's at the race track with my smugmug info rubber stamped on the back. I shoot MX and like giving the riders a little surprise and they always love it.

anyway to hand out 4x6's one must first print them. since I'm too unorganized to just order them from smugmug I'm always printing them on saturdays at some print kiosk the day before the race.

this saturday it was WalMart. When I came back an hour later to pick them up the girl asked for a copyright release. she said her manager said they were too professional and the average person couldn't take them, and she pointed this one out as proof of the average person with a point and shoot never being able to shoot.

I told her all you do is use autofocus and just point it...:D

she said "you have no idea". I guess they print a lot of lousy pics at WalMart. :wink

she finally relented and gave me MY pictures, but it got me to wondering. and I'm sure its been discussed before here so please excuse my laziness to go find it.

how do I prove I took the pictures..?

Art Scott

Ask if they can view your RAW files or DNG FILES......since those are the digital negs that should be all the proof they need.....OR put a siggy / copyright on the print and show your DL for proof ....also make up some B-cards to carry with ........ since I use my name in my business I just flash my DL.....it is good to see that wally world and some others are starting to ask for proof of ownership especially when someone carries in a print to be copied........I really like the arguments that ensue ...........

davidweaver

Costco (and the local labs) = Good (support local labs when possible)
Wally World = the experience you got.

urbanaries

I wonder who is thanking and/or threatening these wal-mart employees for guarding our copyrights so judiciously? The only time my clients have had trouble printing from their digital negatives is at Wal-Mart. I personally think it's pretty cool, but I've never tried to print them myself there and prove that I'm me!

I would imagine the EXIF data would help...you can tell her what camera, what lens, talk about your shutter speed/aperture/lighting used that day

Sam

This is one subject that always raises my blood pressure. The whole concept of the big box employee (BBE) determining if a photo was taken professionally, and or who might have the right to print said image is enough to make me puke.

Urbanaries: They arn't doing ANYTHING to protect your rights. They are worried about some shyster suing them for printing a photo that their original customer didn't have the legal right to print. They ain't gonna sue the real violator, the customer. The customer doesn't have any money, but hey the big box company does, so they sue them.

There isn't any way to know with 100% accuracy if a photo was taken by a professional or not. All you can do is voice your opinion as to the quality level.

DISCLAIMER: Of course if the BBE sees a watermark, studio logo, or statements on the back of the photo sating no reproducing without written authorization, then nail the suckers, but don't try and hassle me.

This is the classic, make it difficult for the majority because of the few. It's much too difficult to actually prosecute the real culprits, so lean on the normal law abiding folks, and hey you the (law, authorities, lawyers, etc) don't even have to take the heat. Just get some whacked out jury to render a verdict against some big box, (read has money) store, because of a minimum wage employee, and they do all the hassling for ya.

There are a lot of ways to get a photo printed, and violate the copyright holder rights. You can print it yourself, send to an on-line company, (I have never heard of an on-line company refusing to print an image because they thought it might be a professional photo).

If you have followed any of my posts you will realize I am all for protecting copyrights, but the whole concept of holding the photo printers feet to the fire is about $$$$, not protecting your rights.

You want to protect your copyrights, then write your hard working, honest, caring legislator, and ask them to vote against the Orphan Works Bill.

Sam

demonsmasher

Walmart dose have a pre written release. Get it and you can fill in your info. I have to do this at times there. They have been sued before over printing pro pictures, so their policy is to have a release form sigh from now on. Be thankful though, if you shoot weddingd then they will not print them without a release.

Howard Barlow

Sam wrote:

Urbanaries: They arn't doing ANYTHING to protect your rights. They are worried about some shyster suing them for printing a photo that their original customer didn't have the legal right to print. They ain't gonna sue the real violator, the customer. The customer doesn't have any money, but hey the big box company does, so they sue them.

Sam,

It isn't a shyster, it's PPA. And, yes, they do want to stop people copying images they have no lawful right to copy. It is a protection afforded by federal law. I'm not sure why that would be a 'shyster' thing. That is one of the things we pay dues for, copyright protection. Yes, the person with the image is part of the problem, too. However, most people believe they own the image, since they bought the piece of paper it is on. Even educating them as best we can, there will always be a bunch of them.

The best way to stop the theft is at the 'point of distribution', the amateur labs.

This is an old argument.

If one produces images good enough the labs think they are professional images, that should speak well of the photographer, not offfend them. As photographers, we should all be interested in copyright protection.

FWIW, let's use the correct terminology. We do not give 'copyrights' to anyone. We 'license' an image for certain uses.