Legality of Photos of $Folds

[krt2]

Several weeks ago I posted several pictures of dollar folds that I've done up on my Flickr site, here are a few examples:

"One Way" Arrow (Montroll)
Vulture (Montroll)
Tetrahedron (Montroll)
Armadillo (Montroll)

I didn't think anything about it; I've seen lots of pictures of dollar folds on the web and it didn't even occur to me there could be anything illegal about it. However, just yesterday someone poseted the following comment to each of my dollar fold pics:

* * Rules for the printing, publishing and illustration of U.S. currency: * * *

*The Counterfeit Detection Act of 1992, Public Law 102-550, in Section 411 of Title 31 of the Code of Federal Regulations, permits color illustrations of U.S. currency, provided:

*The illustration is of a size less than three-fourths or more than one and one-half, in linear dimension, of each part of the item illustrated:

*The illustration is one-sided:

*All negatives, plates, positives, 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 are destroyed and/or deleted or erased after their final use:

*Title 18, United States Code, Section 504 permits black and white reproductions of currency and other obligations, provided such reproductions meet the size requirement.

Does anyone know what exactly this means? What does "a size less than three-fourths or more than one and one-half, in linear dimension" really mean?

All my pictures only show one side of the dollar bill, and its only part of the bill.

What's the real deal? Is there an issue I need to be aware of? I don't really want to d anything illegal. I'd take the pictures down if I'm even getting close to something illegal. But I've seen so many photos of dollar folds, I can't really believe that mine really any different.

Any thoughts on this from the collective wisdom of the group? Am I doing anything to be worried about? Are my pictures too high of a resolution so someone could piece together hundreds of them and come up with a printable dollar bill? Or should I just consider this comment to be friendly (if somewhat cryptic) information?

Thanks,
Kim

[origami_8]

These rules in my opinion only apply if you show a full unfolded dollar and not a folded one. They are made to prevent people printing their own money, so your photos definitely do not count.

[origamimasterjared]

Don't worry about it. Those are the rules for printing US currency. Those rules are to allow people to use the image of a US bill without it being mistaken as valid currency. If you hand a cashier a 12 inch long dollar bill, it's obviously not real. But if you give him a 6.5 inch dollar, it's not so obvious.

If you straight-up scan your dollar, then you have to follow those rules. You must scan it at an off size.

[juston]

Yeah, that Jeffrey B. Honig guy has no idea what he's talking about. You don't have to worry.

[krt2]

Thanks for the replies Anna, origamimasterjared, and Juston. That's pretty much what I thought (hoped?) but I wanted to check. It just spooked me a bit to get that someone ominous comment on all my dollar fold pictures.

So thanks for the reassurance! I really appreciate it!
Kim

[malachi]

I would probably delete the comments and only worry if the Secret Service contacted me about the pictures. Random people on the internet quoting from the Secret Service currency FAQ are probably not a threat.

[HankSimon]

There are hundreds of dollar origami models - and other currencies - posted across the Web, and probably decades ago on BITNET. Dollars used as art, usually aren't an issue.

However, there is another regulation that says you should not deface US currency ... so if you fold a model and then try to use it to pay for something, you may be in a gray area... especially if you cut and mutilate
And, if that were really a big concern, lots of us who use dollar models as tips, might have crossed the line.


If you are still concerned, simply send each of us a dollar and we promise not to tell.... - Maybe that's what Honig wanted ---

- Hank Simon

[krt2]

Ah... yes, send you each a dollar - preferably folded as a Koi? Good idea! I'll get on that right away Shouldn't take me more than a few years to get one folded for everybody on the list!

Thanks!
Kim

[HankSimon]

I'll graciously accept a Koi.

Am holding breath...

Am turning blue.....

- Hank Simon

[Android raptor]

Yeah, I'm still doing the folding for the bank and if there was a problem I'd probably know by now. BTW, I have pics of the billboard with the koi I folded on it, but my laptop is on the fritz :/

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

while we're on the subject of koi...2-dollar bills make great koi...they have a very large dark green picture on the back.

[Ragnorax]

while we're on the subject of koi...2-dollar bills make great koi...they have a very large dark green picture on the back.

oh interesting do u have a picture of one from a 2 dollar bill?

[WhisperPuffin]

while we're on the subject of koi...2-dollar bills make great koi...they have a very large dark green picture on the back.

But do they have the pattern eyes?

[4sigma]

A $2 bill doesn't have the eye spots. I prefer using $1 bills for Won Park's Koi.

$2 bills however do make very nice Mooser Trains.

[HankSimon]

When I fold a Mooser Train from ~20 inch rectangle of paper, I usually have to make a large copy of the CP and fold it.

Any suggestions for how to fold a Train from a Dollar (or $2) .... without having to pass it through my printer

Thanks,
Hank Simon