I think this is that typically American fear of litigation. Wall-Mart wants to cover their own behind. And I think they are going too far. They are basically saying you're thieves, without any proof. Even with the film and negatives there's no proof you didn't steal them from somebody. Will they ask you to prove that? You should step up and make the cretins prove you're guilty of copyright infringement if they want to. After all, a court has to prove you're guilty of something and why not some barely literate clerk who doesn't know a difference between a camera and a blender? You shouldn't meekly allow them to force you into proving your innocence. AFAIK, there's something in the American law called class action. Could a group of photographers take class action against Wal-Mart for libel, slander, discrimination, whatever?

-- erlik