It's political correctness gone mad! (Supermarket edition)

It's my fiancee's parents' 40th wedding anniversary this weekend. My fiancee - let's just call her Jo, cos it's her name and it's less typing/forgetting the French accent keyboard shortcuts - wanted to put one of their wedding photos on a cake. Awww... nice thought, eh? Asda have a machine that does this. So she printed out a photo onto photo paper and took it to Asda. Job done, right?

WRONG.

The first Asda's putting-photo-on-cake machine wasn't working, so they directed her to another store all the way across town. Remember this, for it will become important later: THEY SAW THE PHOTO AND MERELY DIRECTED HER TO ANOTHER STORE.

The second store, to Jo's surprise, refused to put the photo on the cake. Why? Because of the potential copyright issues with the photo, as Jo herself hadn't taken it. Let me repeat that: copyright issues. With a 40 year old photo. That's going to be put on a cake and eaten. With the people in the photo, and the original photographer in fact, eating it.

Jo naturally reacted with incredulity, and asked whether she could call up the original photographer and get him to speak to Asda, as confirmation that he's happy for the cake to be photoed up. Asda said that this was not enough. They needed a SIGNED LETTER from the guy for them to be prepared to use their photo-cake machine. Unfortunately, the guy's in Devon along with Jo's parents (whereas Jo and I are in Bristol). And the anniversary party is tomorrow...

Apparently the fine for rogue photos being put on cakes is £5,000. Presumably, any people making a complaint high-tail it away with such cakes before the evidence is eaten, and store it safely for later court proceedings.

This story has a happy ending, because Jo found a local specialist cake emporium that will just do it in time without bleating about copyright... although due to the lateness of the hour, she has to actually find a cake herself for them to put the photo on. Which is ironic, considering it's a cake shop.

But I digress. Let's go back to that thing I asked you to remember. The first Asda didn't mention any copyright problems when directing Jo to the second one - despite seeing the photo. So that made Jo very mad indeed. And it's copyright issues for a 40 year old photo. On a cake. That will be eaten. At a party tomorrow, with the happy couple hopefully smiling at the lovely thought that has gone into it.

The Eighthours verdict: strawberry floating ridiculous.

But what do you guys think, eh? And do you have your own examples of petty rules infringing upon common sense?

Sweet strawberry floating Jesus. :lol:

Which strawberry floating jobsworth dreamt that one up then? :lol:

Just because Jo's boyfriend's a mod doesn't mean she can get away with copyright infringement.

Last edited by Hexx on Fri Aug 29, 2008 5:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Eighthours wrote:It's my fiancees' parent's 40th wedding

OOOOooooooooooooooo

When did that happen?

How did you propose?

Was it romantic?

I remember there being a ridiculous rule on nappies in Sainsbury's years ago. You could only buy 6. Another one in Tesco was you weren't allowed to bulk buy anything. strawberry float you then!

Eighthours wrote:My fiancee

Pix or GTFO.

That's what I call a sticky situation.

Just glue the photo on top next time.

The one time I'll use this....

:fp:

You can't eat that! That cake is copyright!

Funnily enough, I once got a Wind Waker cake, which was scanned directly from a bunch of art somewhere. Nintendo never called about that.

Eighthours wrote:But what do you guys think, eh?

Don't shop in ASDA.

And who the strawberry float wants to eat a cake made by ASDA? Sounds like it was trying to be done on the cheap. Take your business to a bakers or someone who makes cakes for a living because they will taste loads better and you won't get all that hassle

This country is just becoming flipping stupid. The rule that makes me mad is that Mums and Dads (thats if I'm not being super sexist calling them Mums and Dads) can't take photos of their own kids at sports day.

No offence but having a photo on a cake is just cheesy anyway, it was god trying to stop her from having it done.

My ex, we'll call her Jackie, because that was her name, used to do that picture on a cake kinda thing, they look shite anyway!

Peter Crisp wrote:This country is just becoming flipping stupid. The rule that makes me mad is that Mums and Dads (thats if I'm not being super sexist calling them Mums and Dads) can't take photos of their own kids at sports day.

That's because they might be paedophiles. YOU NEVER KNOW.

The Alchemist Penguin wrote:You can't eat that! That cake is copyright!

Funnily enough, I once got a Wind Waker cake, which was scanned directly from a bunch of art somewhere. Nintendo never called about that.

You have just fallen into Eights cunning trap. As a secret Nintendo super sleuth he has been hunting for ways to get you to admit this heinous crime for some time now. I do hope you like prison food because thats all they serve in prison.

Abs wrote:No offence but having a photo on a cake is just cheesy anyway

Yes, it reeks of council houses and poor people, but I'm sure Eight's family are not like that.

LewisD wrote:
Eighthours wrote:My fiancee

Pix or GTFO.

Accent or GTFO.

Steve wrote:
Abs wrote:No offence but having a photo on a cake is just cheesy anyway

Yes, it reeks of council houses and poor people, but I'm sure Eight's family are not like that.

Well he lives in Bristol, so it's potentially a complete shitehole where he lives, unless it's somewhere nice.. like Clifton.

It's political correctness gone mad! (Supermarket edition)

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