18 USC 504: Illustrations of Stamp in digital quality photos

            
 
          Sec. 504. Printing and filming of United States and foreign 
        obligations and securities
        
    Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the following 
are permitted:
        (1) The printing, publishing, or importation, or the making or 
    importation of the necessary plates for such printing or publishing, 
    of illustrations of--
            (A) postage stamps of the United States,
            (B) revenue stamps of the United States,
            (C) any other obligation or other security of the United 
        States, and
            (D) postage stamps, revenue stamps, notes, bonds, and any 
        other obligation or other security of any foreign government, 
        bank, or corporation.

    Illustrations permitted by the foregoing provisions of this section 
    shall be made in accordance with the following conditions--
        (i) all illustrations shall be in black and white, except that 
    illustrations of postage stamps issued by the United States or by 
    any foreign government and stamps issued under the Migratory Bird 
    Hunting Stamp Act of 1934 may be in color;
        (ii) all illustrations (including illustrations of uncanceled 
    postage stamps in color and illustrations of stamps issued under the 
    Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act of 1934 in color) shall 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 which is 
    covered by subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) of this paragraph, 
    except that black and white illustrations of postage and revenue 
    stamps issued by the United States or by any foreign government and 
    colored illustrations of canceled postage stamps issued by the 
    United States may be in the exact linear dimension in which the 
    stamps were issued; and
        (iii) the negatives and plates used in making the illustrations 
    shall be destroyed after their final use in accordance with this 
    section.

    The Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe regulations to permit 
    color illustrations of such currency of the United States as the 
    Secretary determines may be appropriate for such purposes.
        (2) The provisions of this section shall not permit the 
    reproduction of illustrations of obligations or other securities, by 
    or through electronic methods used for the acquisition, recording, 
    retrieval, transmission, or reproduction of any obligation or other 
    security, unless such use is authorized by the Secretary of the 
    Treasury. The Secretary shall establish a system to ensure that the 
    legitimate use of such electronic methods and retention of such 
    reproductions by businesses, hobbyists, press or others shall not be 
    unduly restricted.
        (3) The making or importation of motion-picture films, 
    microfilms, or slides, for projection upon a screen or for use in 
    telecasting, of postage and revenue stamps and other obligations and 
    securities of the United States, and postage and revenue stamps, 
    notes, bonds, and other obligations or securities of any foreign 
    government, bank, or corporation. No prints or other reproductions 
    shall be made from such films or slides, except for the purposes of 
    paragraph (1), without the permission of the Secretary of the 
    Treasury.

    For the purposes of this section the term ``postage stamp'' includes 
postage meter stamps.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 713; Pub. L. 85-921, Sec. 1, Sept. 2, 
1958, 72 Stat. 1771; Pub. L. 90-353, Sec. 1, June 20, 1968, 82 Stat. 
240; Pub. L. 91-448, Sec. 2, Oct. 14, 1970, 84 Stat. 921; Pub. L. 98-
369, div. A, title X, Sec. 1077(b)(1), (2), July 18, 1984, 98 Stat. 
1054; Pub. L. 102-550, title XV, Sec. 1554, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 
4071; Pub. L. 104-294, title VI, Sec. 601(e), (f)(3), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 
Stat. 3499.)
                      Historical and Revision Notes

    Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Sec. 350 (Mar. 3, 1923, ch. 
218, 42 Stat. 1437; Jan. 27, 1938, ch. 10, Sec. 2, 52 Stat. 6).
    Minor changes in phraseology were made.

                       References in Text

    The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, referred to in par. (1)(i), 
(ii), subsequently renamed the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation 
Stamp Act, is act Mar. 16, 1934, ch. 71, 48 Stat. 451, as amended, which 
is classified generally to subchapter IV (Sec. 718 et seq.) of chapter 7 
of Title 16, Conservation. For complete classification of this Act to 
the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 718 of Title 16 and 
Tables.
                               Amendments

    1996--Par. (1). Pub. L. 104-294, Sec. 601(e)(1), substituted ``The 
printing'' for ``the printing'' in introductory provisions.
    Par. (3). Pub. L. 104-294, Sec. 601(e)(2), (f)(3), substituted ``The 
making or importation of'' for ``the making or importation, of''.
    1992--Par. (1). Pub. L. 102-550, Sec. 1554(1), (2), in subpar. (D), 
substituted a period for the comma at end, in provisions following 
subpar. (D), struck out ``for philatelic, numismatic, educational, 
historical, or newsworthy purposes in articles, books, journals, 
newspapers, or albums (but not for advertising purposes, except 
illustrations of stamps and paper money in philatelic or numismatic 
advertising of legitimate numismatists and dealers in stamps or 
publishers of or dealers in philatelic or numismatic articles, books, 
journals, newspapers, or albums).'' before ``Illustrations permitted'', 
and inserted at end ``The Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe 
regulations to permit color illustrations of such currency of the United 
States as the Secretary determines may be appropriate for such 
purposes.''
    Par. (2). Pub. L. 102-550, Sec. 1554(3), added par. (2). Former par. 
(2) redesignated (3).
    Par. (3). Pub. L. 102-550, Sec. 1554(3), (4), redesignated par. (2) 
as (3) and struck out ``but not for advertising purposes except 
philatelic advertising,'' after ``or importation,''.
    1984--Par. (1)(i). Pub. L. 98-369, Sec. 1077(b)(1), inserted ``and 
stamps issued under the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act of 1934''.
    Par. (1)(ii). Pub. L. 98-369, Sec. 1077(b)(2), inserted ``and 
illustrations of stamps issued under the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp 
Act of 1934 in color''.
    1970--Pub. L. 91-448 inserted provision including postage meter 
stamp within the meaning of postage stamp for the purposes of this 
section.
    1968--Par. (1). Pub. L. 90-353 inserted provisions so as to permit 
colored illustrations of canceled United States postage stamps in the 
exact size of genuine stamps and colored illustrations of uncanceled 
United States and foreign stamps if the size of the illustra
tions is less than three-fourths or more than one and one-half times the 
size of the genuine stamps and permitted the use of colored 
illustrations of stamps in public documents relating to stamps printed 
by the Government Printing Office at the request of the Postmaster 
General.
    1958--Pub. L. 85-921 permitted black and white illustrations of 
revenue stamps of the United States for philatelic and numismatic 
purposes, black and white illustrations of United States and foreign 
paper money and other obligations and securities for educational, 
historical, and newsworthy purposes, and permitted motion picture films, 
microfilms, and slides of United States and foreign postage and revenue 
stamps, paper money, and other obligations and securities, except films 
in connection with advertising.
                    Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 98-369 effective July 18, 1984, see section 
1077(c) of Pub. L. 98-369, set out as a note under section 718e of Title 
16, Conservation.