The Picture Copy Machine Feb. 3, 2002 Did you ever take a picture to one of those Kodak machines that they have at Sam's Club, Wal-mart, Walgreens, Bel-Air and almost anywhere, to have it scanned and a picture made from it? Well it seems under penalty of law, (I don't know what the penalty is, maybe prison?), that if it is a picture that was taken by a professional photographer, is copyrighted or even LOOKS professional, you cannot copy it. I took a picture of my grandkids into Sam's club and scanned a picture taken professionally of them, and the lady there said, sorry you cannot have that picture it was taken professionally. I said, " what are you going to do throw them away or shred them?" She says, yes that is exactly what she is going to do. So I scanned a picture I took myself of them and the lady came unglued, ":I said you cannot copy these pictures", I told her I took them my self, she says "well they LOOK professional, you do not have the negative with you , so you cannot scan them" Now why do you think I spent $800 on a Cannon rebel with an expensive lens? So they would look unprofessional? By now I could just reach across the counter and snap her little head right off and walk out smiling. So I got no pictures that day. My daughter in law said she copied some old high school graduation pictures of her mom and dad and the same lady told her she cannot have those pictures, they were done professionally, she finished copying the pictures and started to walk away and she told her that she would have to package the pictures for her and she was not getting the high school pictures. My daughter in law said ok, I have more shopping to do and I will be back, Instead she did her shopping and went to the front check out and paid $4.95 for each picture she scanned and made a picture out of. She got out to the car and here comes Miss picture authority. "Let me see your receipt slip," she says. My daughter in law showed it to her and the lady saw where the pictures were paid for, so she says, I am taking your account number and will be reporting this. Ok, says my daughter in law, the picture lady says, snotty like, "I hope you enjoy them" My daughter in law says," I will", and left. I told her the picture lady is going to have her Sam's club card yanked or better yet report her to 1-800 copyrighted pictures being unlawfully copied. (laughing) I am saying what is the big deal, why would any one care if she wants a picture of her mom and dad's high school picture taken over 35 years ago? Do you really think the picture place still has the negatives? Are they even in business? Do you think bells and whistles go off at Olan mills whenever someone tries to copy a picture of theirs? No one in their right mind is going to go back to the place where the professional picture was taken and pay through their nose for a copy when they are scanners and printers that will do it at home. Besides we are making the pictures on the machine, not her, why should she care?. Some day I am going to go in there, make a copy of a professionally done picture, and if she says anything, I will ask her what the penalty is is for making the copy, if it's a fine, I will pay it. Can't you just see me sitting in jail and someone asking me what I am in for , and I say, "for making a copy of a picture that looked like it was done professionally". I am going to be someone's cupcake for that????? So they are telling me, if I have a portrait of my great grandmother taken back in Missouri in 1895, I can never make another picture of it? If it should go through a flood, no one in our family will ever have this picture because it was copyrighted or looked professional? If it doesn't say copyrighted on the back, that usually means it's a copy of the original or you can make a copy of it. Is it against the law to make a copy of a copy even if it looks professionally taken? This just mystifies me to no end. Oh sure, I know that the picture studios won't make anymore money off you if you can copy it, but there has to be a cut off point somewhere. I am sure there are people out there, that work at one of these places who have these machines, and people who work at picture studios, that will give me a hundred reasons why I can't make a copy to put in my family album, ("because it's against the law, stupid") I guess I will have to get me a new scanner and a new printer to make them at home. Wonder why that isn't against the law? I will let you know if my daughter in law gets arrested. <grin>