TV MONEY NOW LEGAL Publique Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 13, March 28, 2004, Article 16
TV MONEY NOW LEGAL
Joe Boling writes: "I can't give you citations, but I believe it was
formerly (say up until the '60s) illegal to photograph US money
in movies; thus the plethora of stage notes, many based on
Mexican models. This may be the origin of your correspondent's
comment about money on TV. "Michael Schmidt writes: "It used to be mandatory for film and
TV because the law forbid the color reproduction of the
currency in any form whatsoever. It didn't matter what the
form or size of the reproductions was. That was true even
for the electronic images only seen on the TV screen. Since
then the laws have been changed and it is no longer mandatory."Martin Gengerke of R.M. Smythe & Co. writes:
"For the record, I wrote the law regarding the photographic/
print/media reproductions on U.S. Currency!Some years ago you may remember that Congress directed
the Treasury to rewrite the law regarding the photography
(etc.) of U.S. Currency. The Treasury (with the help of the
Secret Service) came up with a proposed law and published
it in the numismatic (and other) press asking for comments
from the public.Their proposal was so restrictive it was useless, so I put
together a 14-pound package with lots of suggestions plus
a completely rewritten law. As I remember, the Treasury
got comments from only a small handful of people.To cut to the chase - when the law was finally submitted to
Congress it was exactly the way I wrote it, with about a
half dozen words changed. They never gave me credit for
it, and I don't even know if they will verify this.In any event, the restrictions are as follows:
Black and white photographs and color photographs are legal
if they are less than 75% or more than 150% of actual size.
Black and white and color transparencies are legal in any size.
There are NO restrictions on the appearance of U.S. Currency
in movies, television or stage performances whatsoever.
Photos, slides, etc. are supposed to be for numismatic,
educational, or advertising purposes, and the negatives/slides
are supposed to be destroyed after use (but this is so hazy an
area it is not enforced).These rumors from uninformed sources crop up all the time -
I've written dozens of letters trying to straighten out
misconceptions, including some to lawyers who misinterpret
the law! Hope this helps!"- 2004-03-28
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