Criminal Me

[llcoolvad]

So today on my dinner break I took a stroll over to the Mall next to my building to see how the Apple iPhones launch was going. The stores are all closed until 6pm so that (according to Steve Jobs) people don't have to take off from work to get an iPhone. The reality (of course) is that it's so that news teams can get nice visuals of hundreds of people waiting in line — free advertising!

I guess advertising only goes so far, though, because one thing you can't do for Apple without being hassled by a giant security guy is take a picture of the (CLOSED AND BLACKED OUT) front of an Apple store:



I was snapping pictures of the people in line and just took this one when a guard practically ran up to me and told me not to do that. I asked why, he said "because it's private property". I wish I knew the rules of what's legal in photography a little better, because after all I AM inside a mall. So the MALL might be private property, but the OUTSIDE of a store is not normally private property (anything visible from a public area is fair game, I know that much). The guy basically followed me almost to the door of the mall, and I argued with him the whole way. He asked me if I'd like to discuss it with the police. Nice huh? Way to promote a warm fuzzy feeling about your phone, Apple.

I'm thinking I will NEVER buy an iPhone now. Bite me, Apple!

Other pictures from the event.

Comments

[dreamalynn.livejournal.com]

Generally, shopping malls are no photo zones, and yes, they are private property, so their assigned agents can enforce this rule by deeming you a trespasser if you refuse to comply with their request that you stop their prohibited behavior (this would also apply to kids on skates or people running or smoking in non-smoking areas, etc.) and escorting you off the property, or calling police to do so if you refuse to go nicely.

The only difference might be inside a store, where store management has a higher degree of authority to allow or disallow photos, depending on your purpose and your demeanor -- however, in some malls, particularly those owned by the Simon company, store leases indicate that store managers are not supposed to permit photography or videography inside of their stores, either.

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know all about INSIDE stores -- I used to be a manager of a retail store that was part of a large chain. And even though I think it's stupid, I guess they have a right to do what they want inside.

I wasn't sure about mall common areas (I felt compelled to argue with the guard anyway, because that's just how I roll!), and it makes sense that they're considered private property (especially for controlling kids).

However, I still think it's stupid to restrict photography of a closed and shuttered store, especially when it's not a legal problem to take pictures of storefronts that AREN'T in malls. And it's not like I was causing a public disturbance or stealing corporate secrets! You do a quick tag search on Flickr of iPhones and you'll see hundreds of pix of store fronts. Here's one from the Mall of America! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/doozer4200/678121633/)

It's ok, I'm over it now. And unfortunately still want the damned iPhone! Sigh. Shiny! Not sure how long I can resist. Especially since now my existing cell contract is up. Like, today! :-)