Copyrighted?

[Blueline72]

This is neither here nor there, and it's never happened to me since, but this is an experience I had years ago. I have always thought was odd to this day.
I was getting married (the first time) and for our invitations, I wanted to scan a piece of my tartan fabric to use as a background. I was at a printing shop called Kinkos, high quality scanners weren't a dime a dozen in those days. The clerk there said they wouldn't scan and print it because he thought it would be copyrighted and I needed written permission to use the "pattern." Joking, I asked who I would need to get permission from, the clan chieftain? Completely straight faced He said "yes that would work". I ended up going somewhere else and had no trouble.
Has anyone else ever heard of anything like this happening? I guess I had never thought about copyright issues with tartans.

[ratspike]

Yeah, that's totally legit. Places that do scanning and printing don't want to end up on the bad end of a lawsuit so it's not at all uncommon for the clerk to refuse to scan or make prints from digital files now unless you have written permission.

[artificer]

Old Clan tartans are too old for any copyright protections, and who would possibly hold the copyright when the origins of many of them are either not recorded, or falsely recorded as 'old' and actually invented by Sobieski or Wilson.

It's an entirely different matter for newer corporate, private, or some fashion tartans (Isle of Skye comes to mind).
Those can be protected.

ith:

[Chas]

In the UK, we have stationery chain called Staples, inside of which they have their Print Shop.

Before they do any work for you, you have to sign a disclaimer saying in effect that they are working for you, under your instruction, and that you are taking all responsibilities in respect of copyright.

[Blueline72]

This was an actual piece of tartan cut from an old kilt of my grandfathers that had an unfortunate run in with a battalion of moths. that was back in the late 90's but yes I think most of the stationary chains if there is any question they have you sign a waiver.

[GG]

About half a year ago I had made a couple of mouse pads (together with a cover for my iPhone ”Think out of the box”). No problems, at all.


Tartan: MacDonald of the Isles Ancient Hunting

[MacLowlife]

I believe someone at Kinko's either got burned or someone warned them. As a large chain, they need to be particularly careful about having used someone else's intellectual property without permission. All it would take would be for some party to learn that his copyrighted or protected image was just one of hundreds that had been copied without permission for a jury award to go through the roof.

Similarly, my neighborhood camera shop will not ( or would not, until they went out of business) scan a photograph if the print had a professional photographer's name on the back.

In the second example, you can see how the business is looking out for professionals. In the original one, it seems to be more a question of avoiding liability. I think the tartan-phobic clerk was probably going overboard, but he was probably told not to copy anything that the customer couldn't prove he had the right to use.

In truth, for every infringement avoided by the policies of Kinko's or Staples, there must be millions of guys who have used the office copier, or, as Blueline observed, a high quality home scanner.

[creagdhubh]

In the UK, we have stationery chain called Staples, inside of which they have their Print Shop.

Before they do any work for you, you have to sign a disclaimer saying in effect that they are working for you, under your instruction, and that you are taking all responsibilities in respect of copyright.

We have Staples here in the US too, Chas.