As a photographer, these laws are put into place to protect my job. The second I press the shutter on the camera its my copyright. As for images for movies, the movie companies hold those copyrights most the time and they buy them out from the photographer. What they are trying to prevent are the celebs who dont license the images and then take them to a convention and profit off the images that the movie studio paid for. The actor could license the image and then its no big deal.

As for why you had problems printing an image of yourself. Well if you had it professionally done, you're supposed to go back to the photographer that shot it to order prints, or have them sign a form that says you can print the images.

Just because it's an image of you or a celebrity, doesn't mean you have any kind of entitlement to do what you want with it.

With all that said, a friend of mine went to walmart to print off some concert pics I took. I told her she could do it, I sent her the files. They still harassed her and said she needed a notarized form from me. So it's quite silly and it's not, all at the same time.

I even had a problem with my own photo. It was a composite photo of me when I graduated. I just printed out a couple pocket size to apply for a job. She said that I had to have a permission from the photographer. Copyrights gone too far in my opinion. Can't even print out your own face.

Ive had a couple incidents like this happen to me as well lol. I usually order prints online, and then go into the store to pick them up. One time I had ordered a picture of Neville (matthew lewis) and it had the harry potter logo in it. Shortly after, they called and told me they couldn't print it, but they printed off all the other harry potter pictures i had ordered because they didnt have the logo on it.

There was another time at walmart, I went in to pick up some pictures and they were all harry potter ones too. A couple of them had the "HP7" logo in it, and when i picked them up she said she wasnt technically allowed to print them because of copy right stuff. But she said that was stupid a stupid rule because I wasnt making a profit off this, so she gave the pictures to me without any other problems lol.

[quote]edit* I have had this same thing happen to me with Walmart the photo cakes in the bakery is the same way. This is why I no longer buy cakes from Walmart I go to the store I work for across the street. Walmart bakery person told me I couldn't use a photo of a friend of mine on my photo cake cuz it was copyrighted............It was copyrighted to ME I took the photo and I explained that to the lady and said told me "well I really shouldn't without a release form saying we can use the photo" she made the cake but that was the last cake that came from Walmart.[/quote]


Haha what a story, that made me laugh

All official photo of stars are copyrighted for a reason. Walmart has a rule and has had it for years stating they can not reprint copyrighted photos due to the fact they can be sued. Your best bet around this is buying a printer and printing your own photos at home OR using online places. Drug stores like Rite Aid and Walgreens both have online places for you to print your photos and pick them up in the store they both do not have the copyright rule like Walmart does.

*edit* I have had this same thing happen to me with Walmart the photo cakes in the bakery is the same way. This is why I no longer buy cakes from Walmart I go to the store I work for across the street. Walmart bakery person told me I couldn't use a photo of a friend of mine on my photo cake cuz it was copyrighted............It was copyrighted to ME I took the photo and I explained that to the lady and said told me "well I really shouldn't without a release form saying we can use the photo" she made the cake but that was the last cake that came from Walmart.

[quote="mashka"]Sounds fishy....[/quote]

Umm no its not fishy. ANY photo that was taken by a famous photographer (of Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, To Justin Bieber to Brad Pitt) ITS ALL COPYRIGHT being that its "illegal" to print them @ certain places because those certain places don't wanna get sued..99.9.% of the time NO ONE ever finds out about it (By you and the celeb) But the celeb NEVER Cares. haha! :) The Walmart worker was right for doing what she did...she was doing her job. Find somewhere else to print your photo..................CVS! (HINT HINT!!) :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

The above poster is 100% right, but I've gone down two avenues and never had a problem.

1) I used to use Target and do them right in store. The associate used to have to come over to the machine and type in a code for the order to go through. I noticed that they only bothered checking 8x10's. The 4x6's that I use they didn't seem to care.

2) I started going the online route when Target's machines got too jammed with soccer moms plopping down for hours going through their vacation photos trying to find the one photo that they didn't look fat in. Then cropping, screwing it up, cropping again...it was endless. I now use a drugstore chain via their online site. Even with 8x10s I've never had a problem with copyright material. I do make sure to use the "Service in several days" option. Not only is it cheaper, but I'm sure whoever they're paying to sit at their photo center isn't too concerned as to what is being printed. Then they're shipped to the store and I can pick them up at my leisure.

-J\/\/

it is against the law for Wal Mart or any other place to print copyrighted photos (they can get in trouble if their caught), almost any photo you find on the internet is copyrighted. thats why I print mine on my printer

[quote="mashka"]Sounds fishy....I've never had that happen to me. How would she know if the pictures were copyrighted in the first place??
Hopefully it wont happen to you again!! I have a had a few snags at the post as well--> there's a lady there who flattens all the mail to make it flatter. All my pictures barley fit into the envelope so i can't flatten them unless i wanted bent pictures >:( anyways I tell her not too and she still does it! Oh well. As for the copyrighted images just ask for your pictures back and say that they aren't copy right....how can she tell anyways?[/quote]


ya i dont know how she knew they were copyrighted. ?! but i dont see the big deal anyway. i look at it like this way if the actors n actresses themselves are SIGNING the images themselves copyrighted or not and dont seem to care then it shouldnt b a issue. they must know the images r copyraight but still sign. so the celebs must not care so much or at all! also im not selling the autographs etc. so other people shouldnt have a issue with it!

Sounds fishy....I've never had that happen to me. How would she know if the pictures were copyrighted in the first place??
Hopefully it wont happen to you again!! I have a had a few snags at the post as well--> there's a lady there who flattens all the mail to make it flatter. All my pictures barley fit into the envelope so i can't flatten them unless i wanted bent pictures >:( anyways I tell her not too and she still does it! Oh well. As for the copyrighted images just ask for your pictures back and say that they aren't copy right....how can she tell anyways?

today was a interesting day today at walmart i printed off a 8 by 10 and 5 by 7 of colin farrell a pricey request. and got to the register to pay a woman working there asked me if i wanted a envelope to put the pics in. i stupidly said yes handing the pics to her while she went somewhere in the back room to fetch a envelope a few min later she came back saying the images were copyright and i couldnt keep them. etc and made a rather big deal about it! i was calm scared and nervous inside. first of all i payed alot i already had my envelopes at home ready and i was desperate to get my fav actors autograph. FINALLY though somehow she decided to give my pics back. and let it go. i was releived!!!!! i was wondering what u guys think! have u ever been in a situation like that? and what should i say next time to save me if that happens again??? thanks.