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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be angry at woman in Tesco

31 replies

amandamacg · 27/03/2010 15:09

DD's 5th birthday party tomorrow and she asked for birthday cake with picture of Zack and Cody on it (twin boys that are in Disney programme she loves to watch. I looked up internet and found nice picture which i took into store to get transferred onto cake, whereby the woman told me she couldn't do it owing to copyright laws. I was a bit at this, but asked her to double check, as it was just a picture of them at some award show (not a picture from the show)....she called the manager, who was quite rude, throwing picture back at me and saying "she's right'. Cue 1 upset daughter and 1 very angry mum!

OP posts:
OldLadyKnowsNothing · 27/03/2010 15:10

She's right, it would be a breach of copyright law.

But neither of you need have been rude about it.

thedollshouse · 27/03/2010 15:10

Although I sympathise with you she would actually be breaking the law if she did transfer the picture onto the cake. Mad I know but thats how the law stands.

smokinaces · 27/03/2010 15:12

YABU. The picture was copyrighted by the person who took it at the very least. They are just doing their job. OK, wasnt in the most pleasant mannor, but hey.

oopslateagain · 27/03/2010 15:14

They are right, they can't breach copyright laws. But there is a right and a wrong way to tell you this - and if you were polite and just asking them to double-check then the manager was being an arse.

YANBU to be upset at his attitude.

If it helps, I've done my dd a birthday cake with a photocopy stuck to the top, and it can look nice if you do it right. Buy a plain iced cake, and glue the picture to some baking parchment and then use icing to stick the baking parchment down - otehrwise the photocopy curls up.

DramaInPyjamas · 27/03/2010 15:14

Disney have really strict copyright laws.
No need for to be rude though.

Nonailsrules · 27/03/2010 15:36

No need to be rude but also a bit rude to ask her to double check !

Lovecat · 27/03/2010 15:49

Too late now, but you can buy edible blank cake-topper paper from ebay and print out your own picture onto it (having said that I have no idea how edible your printer ink would be, but I suppose you just lift the paper off before eating?)

Tesco staff are, ime, horribly rude if you challenge them on anything, but they are right about the copyright.

coldtits · 27/03/2010 15:50

You're angry because someone would not break the law for your daughter's birthday cake.

mummysgoingmad · 27/03/2010 15:54

asda did it for me with a pocoyo picture here

moominmarvellous · 27/03/2010 16:34

I second the ebay suggestion!

I ordered some Toy Story Cake Toppers from there and when you search they do cake toppers for almost every celebrity going, especially the teenage heart throb types.

It is a pain, but I tried to get Toy Story cookies made and they couldn't do it due to copyright as well.

Ivykaty44 · 27/03/2010 16:41

i really think that shps doing the cake orders need to set out a clar sign outlining what they can and can't print on the top of a cake and why - this way it would stop upset on both sides and give clear indications before the birthday.

It is hard customer service when you have an already angry customer in front of you and a lot of service personel don't know how to handle angry customers and put things right

Ivykaty44 · 27/03/2010 16:43

to be fair you really should be angry at tesco for not giving their staff good customer service training and not giving good signage for their product - not the poor lady who hasn't been trained by her employee

RussianDolls · 27/03/2010 18:07

If they can't do it because of the law thats unlucky.

YANBU to be upset with them for being rude to you.

There was no need for that

5Foot5 · 27/03/2010 18:12

Oh bad luck at having to watch that awful programme! My DD likes it too

FabIsGettingThere · 27/03/2010 18:14

YABU

JoeyBettany · 27/03/2010 18:17

YANBU, what a pair of jobsworths.

FabIsGettingThere · 27/03/2010 18:18

JB!

Not jobsworths, just people following the law.

MrsC2010 · 27/03/2010 18:20

I get the impression the OP is more upset at their attitude than the printing thing...or am I being overly optimistic?!

RustyBear · 27/03/2010 18:30

Not clear whether the 'woman' you refer to in the title is the original assistant or the manager - if the former I can't see why you should be angry at her - she told you the rules and then agreed to check them with her manager, nothing to be angry at there.

Pikelit · 27/03/2010 19:13

YAB totally U.

Disney are notoriously hot on copyright protection so if Tesco doesn't have a picture license for these characters, they are being very sensible in not nicking them from random pictures on the internet.

Now it may be that the staff in Tesco could have explained the law on copyright more politely, or at least in a way you could understand, but they weren't being jobsworths, they were complying with the law.

nellie12 · 27/03/2010 19:24

well breaking copyright rules, I suppose thsy have to abide by that.

But the attitude of some of the staff in Tesco stinks atm. so much so I refuse to shop there - defected to Asda, never get that attitude there even if it is downmarket.
Yanbu to be annoyed at their attitude to customers.

Ivykaty44 · 27/03/2010 19:46

joeybettany probably wouldn' mind if people nick her ideas and make moeny out of them - it is basic theft similar to illegal downloads or pirate dvd, it is making money out of other peoples ideas and work.

JoeyBettany · 27/03/2010 20:04

well, I've got lots of copied dvds and cds so am obviously lacking in a certain element of moral fibre [fiber sp?]

tethersend · 27/03/2010 20:19

This would never happen in Waitrose.

Ivykaty44 · 27/03/2010 22:01

as long as you don't mind people taking your stuff Joey - there no probelm with your moral fiber {wink] just don't come crying to us if you get robbed of all your bootleg dvd's

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