Section 457 of the Criminal Code of Canada

Section 457 of the Criminal Code of Canada states:

1. No person shall make, publish, print, execute, issue, distribute or circulate, including by electronic or computer-assisted means, anything in the likeness of
   1. a current bank note; or
   2. an obligation or a security of a government or bank.
2. Subsection (1) does not apply to
   1. the Bank of Canada or its employees when they are carrying out their duties;
   2. the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) or its members or employees when they are carrying out their duties; or
   3. any person acting under a contract or licence from the Bank of Canada or Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
3. A person who contravenes subsection (1) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
4. No person shall be convicted of an offence under subsection (3) in relation to the printed likeness of a Canadian bank note if it is established that the length or width of the likeness is less than three-fourths or greater than one-and-one-half times the length or width, as the case may be, of the bank note and
   1. the likeness is in black and white only; or
   2. the likeness of the bank note appears on only one side of the likeness.

Title 18, Section 504 of the United States Code

Authority: 18 UNITED STATES CODE; 504: Treasury Directive Number 15-56 FR 48539 (September 15, 1993) 411.1 Color illustrations authorized:

1. Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 25 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, authority is hereby given for the printing, publishing or importation, or the making or importation of the necessary plates or items for such printing or publication, of color illustrations of U.S. currency provided that:
   1. The illustration must be of a size less than three-fourths or more than one and one-half, in linear dimension, of each part of any matter so illustrated;
   2. The illustration must be one sided; and
   3. All negatives, plates, digitized storage medium, graphic files, magnetic medium, optical storage devices, and any other thing used in the making of the illustration that contain an image of the illustration or any part thereof shall be destroyed and or deleted or erased after their final use in accordance with this section.

Each of the bank notes depicted on this website, Canadian, American and otherwise, are reduced to 74% of their original size and are in an electronic format and therefore comply with Section 457 of the Criminal Code of Canada and Title 18, Section 504 of the United States Code. If the viewer of these images chooses to print them, it is the responsibility of the viewer to ensure that the viewer is in compliance with any applicable law, regulation or statute including the Criminal Code of Canada and the Copyright Act.

The Bank of Canada banknote images depicted on this website are used with permission from the Bank of Canada. Further uses beyond this website may be an infringement on the Bank of Canada's copyright and may expose you to legal actions.

Reference: Bank of Canada
Reference: U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Reference: Reserve Bank of Australia
Reference: Rules For Use website

SEE ALSO: © Copyright Information