Keys with 'DO NOT COPY' stamped on them

MyDoorsAreOpen

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In the US, what exactly is the legal weight of the phrase 'DO NOT COPY' being stamped on a door key? Who puts that stamp there? Who has the authority to adorn a key with this phrase? Is there any sort of government record of keys (and the doors and institutions they belong to) bearing this stamp?

Let's say someone came into possession of a key that said 'DO NOT COPY', took it anonymously to a business that made keys, and made it clear that he wanted to purchase a copy. Who is breaking the law, the customer, the business owner, both, or neither?

Do LEOs in the US keep an active watch on key copying businesses to make sure this kind of thing gets punished right after the act, or is this generally something that gets punished as an add-on to another crime (such as, for example, trespassing using a copied key)?

If the latter, then I'd bet this key imprint usually becomes an issue in civil suits rather than criminal ones, and gets held against the copier as tantamount to a broken contract or unheeded warning. I doubt an employee suing for job reinstatement would win much sympathy from a judge who knew he possessed a copy of a key issued by the employer that said 'DO NOT COPY'.

But is the copying and possession of a key bearing this imprint, even if it's never used, itself a criminal offense?
 
Most key copying places I have been to have not really kept a close eye on it. When I was a teenager I copied a handful of them at various times at different stores and was only turned away once because of the stamp.

Not sure about the legality but it doesn't seem enforced if it is illegal.
 
Not sure if this helps in answering part of your question, but when I worked at a store that copied keys, if a key came in that said "do not copy," we were not allowed to copy it. Even if the person insisted that it was their key and they needed a second. We simply were not allowed.

*Shrug* I'm willing to bet places like Home Depot and Lowes have similar rules for their employees, because we had people come in and say "Depot/Lowes won't copy this key, will you?" and the answer was "no."

As far as who is breaking the law if a company did copy the key, I think it'd be the customer, the individual employee, *and* the business.

I know we were told we'd lose our job and that our store would face prosecution if we got caught copying a "do not copy" key.
 
At the hardware store I work at, the key copiers are specifically not allowed to copy keys adorned with those words, but I couldn`t tell you specifically why offhand. I could inquire with someone more knowledgable than me and get back to you if no one else replies first.
 
i am pretty sure there is really no legal penalty for possessing a do not copy key. and i do not think that there are any penalties if one makes a copy of a do not copy key.

but many keys are made out of special blanks that only certain places can get. i lost an apartment key one time and that is the problem i ran into. places would have made copies but they needed some special blank key, and you could only get a blank key if you had permission.
 
i once took a key with such a stamp ("DND") to have it duplicated without realizing it and the locksmith refused to duplicate it.

although i'm linking Wikipedia, it does detail the state laws complete with statute codes which, with some additional research, may answer most of the questions you posed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_blank
 
To my knowledge there are no laws around this, I believe it's a courtesy thing between key copiers and building owners.

Some places will copy 'do not copy' keys for an extra fee.

Some places don't even care.
 
it really means nothing except that more scrupulous keymakers may not copy them without authorization from the legit owner. otherwise, same laws apply as they would if you're copying ANY kind of key without authorization.
 
The answer from my friend is that some states have statutes but enforcement is rare and the penalties small. Within the profession of locksmiths there could be professional censure or penalties but I'm not even sure how many guilds there are and how many lock professionals are even affiliated.

Here is a relevant pdf I found while trying to find some answers. “Do Not Duplicate” and the Institutional Locksmith The authors main site has cautions about dubious folks acting as locksmiths and consumer advice http://locksmithcharley.com/
 
Do this:

Put duct tape over and around the "do not copy"; I have done this with keys when the slot that holds onto the keyring has broken.

They won't see "do not copy" that way. =D
 
Here in NYC there are tons of elevator keys marked "Do Not Duplicate". I've never had a problem getting any copied (although they cost like $15 ea!).

I'd always it was a racket to force you to go back to the lock manufacturer to pay even more exorbitant prices.
 
Here only master keys for cars are illegal. Unless you're a locksmith or lic mechanic.

the rest are totally legal.
 
In TN, lockpicking tools (and I wouldn't be surprised if master keys are under the same law) are illegal, unless you are a security professional.

I learned this at a computer conference. According to the speaker, a computer professional could claim to be a security professional (depending on what their jobs duties are), but "be prepared to spend a night in jail before you can talk to a lawyer."
 
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