Unbeknownst to me, they have “eyes in the sky” just like a casino. Up came a mall security guard on a segway who advised me that photography was prohibited.

Malls are public domain; I don’t know how they could legally enforce this? If I went to court, surely the judge would rule that a mall is a public place, regardless if someone “owns” it. If I have a legal right to be there, I have a legal right to shoot photos (with concerts, broadway shows, and movies excluded because you could reproduce and sell the material illegally).

I tried arguing with him, but there was no sense in it.

By the way, I’ve run into that picture thing before too… not just in the mall, but in other stores as well… doing nothing more than trying to take a picture of friends. I’ve heard many reasons for it, including “copyright infringement” “protecting the stores layout” “making sure you’re not comparison shopping for the competition” etc. What it boils down to is that a mall is considered private property and they are perfectly within their rights to ask you to not take pictures. If you refuse, they can ask you to leave. Only if you refuse to leave, can they take any legal action against you. They can not ask you to delete any pictures you’ve taken prior to the warning and they can not confiscate or your camera or film, or you have the right to take legal action against them.