Re: MAKE FAST CASH

[John Rumm]

Could be digital watermarking... i.e. a banknote identifying signature steganographed into the imagery.

[Ian Stirling]

However, as this is a UK d-i-y group, I was wondering how it's illegal in the UK. Obviously it'd be a crime in the US, and they'd want to prosecute you, and perhaps even extradite.

Obviously it's a copyright violation, and passing off the notes as real ones would be an offence, but is the actual creation of the notes, and circulation to people that know they are fake?

[Stefek Zaba]

Dunno. Forgery is apparently defined in terms of 'making a false instrument'[1] - so, while there may be more specific statutes about UK currency, the general case of making fakes of things of monetary value is covered. However, the wording (from just a quick Google, and no background knowledge AT ALL), goes on to say 'with the intention that he or another shall use it to induce somebody to accept it as genuine',

*and* that they stand to gain some advantage (I think). So you *might* get away with making convincing-looking 'play money' to, say, shower someone with at a wedding... but before you do, better find out from a more authoritative source than some unrelated newsgroup ;-) [1] There seem to be multiple offences, covering various stages of forgery - 'making a false instrument', 'copying a false instrument', 'using a false instrument', 'using a copy of a false instrument'(!), 'custody or control of false instruments and manufacture, custody, or control of equipment or materials to make them'. This from the Crown Prosecution Website at

following the old dictum that if it's nicked from one source, it's plagiarism; but if it's nicked from several, it's Research ;-)

[Andy Hall]

or invention?? ..... :-)

[Owain]

I have an impressively big £50 (one-sided) note produced as an advertising handout for one of those get-rich-quick work-from-home schemes.

Am offline so cannot check, but the Bank of England website has a useful factsheet about copying banknotes. There are restrictions, eg must be printed larger or smaller than realsize, etc.

I don't know if the restrictions apply to Bank of Scotland notes though.

Owain

[Stefek Zaba]

Watch it, you. That's spelt

i n v e n t

ion - *if* you please. Otherwise, instead of the nonexistent uk.d-i-y poliss, or the even less existent Usenet cabal, you'll have the wrath of IP lawyers descending on you. Nastier than rusty circular saws, and even less of a sense of humour, that lot... ;-)

[Andy Hall]

.. and I think that we don't mean Internet Protocol here, do we?

I wonder how long that particular trademark will last now that... well... you know... ;-)

Bloody lawyers. Even worse post-Enron. Now the accountants are joining in with their snouts in the trough.

Especially the American ones.:-)

[Stefek Zaba]

you mean, now we have a CEO named after a GNU kernel?

[Andy Hall]

I was thinking more of the erstwhile and rumours of Munchkin songs being hummed in certain cafeterias.

Hopefully there won't be any Trix......