Originally posted by Kguru That's the key matter I raised. If the pics bear some copyright notice I have absolutely no problem with the employee's action.
However it'd appear there's no copyright indication. As such the employee has made a subjective judgment based just on what's in the photos. That's why I called for proper training. How would you feel if you urgently need your own photos printed but are refused service because someone makes an incorrect judgment that they were shot by a studio?
All photos are copywritten. There doesn't have to be an indication on the image.
As soon as you push the button, you have a copywritten image.
So, it goes back to content. If the associate has reason to believe the image may be copywritten by someone other than the customer, they will refuse it.
This is how they are trained to respond.
It's a PITA, but it's just the way it is.
People go out of their way to sting companies like Wal-mart, so companies like Wal-Mart take a very proactive position regarding things that can cost them money.
In the situation with the OP, he has taken studio pictures in for copies.
This raises the red flags immediately.
Perhaps the associate recognized the backdrop as one used by Sears.
Add that to an associate who is in CYA mode, and yes, there will be problems getting prints.
Wal-Mart isn't in business to get sued, but people try to catch them out on stuff, so you need to have your duckies all lined up in a row. That means having a release of copyright, even a forged one, on paper when you go in.
Read the DMCA sometime, you might get a better understanding of why they are so cautious.