Commons:Currency/Europe
This page gives overviews of copyright rules for currency in different countries or territories of Europe. It is "transcluded" from individual page sections giving the rules for each territory. It includes pages for which no currency rules have been defined ("No information available").
Countries of Europe[edit]
COM:CUR Albania
Albania
OK {{PD-Albania-exempt}} Means of payment are not subject to copyright.[35/2016 Article 12.1ç]
COM:CUR Andorra
Andorra
No information available
COM:CUR Armenia
Armenia
OK Armenian currency is not copyrighted. Monetary items, together with other state symbols, are explicitly excluded from copyright by the 2013 version of the copyright law of Armenia.[2013 Article 4.1(d)]
Please use {{PD-AM-exempt}} for Armenian currency images.
COM:CUR Austria
Austria
Not OK
- It is the (apparently unanimous) view in treatises and law review articles on Austrian copyright law that bank notes and coins do not constitute official works under s 7 of the Austrian Copyright Act and are therefore not freely usable.[1]
COM:CUR Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
OK Monetary signs, together with other state symbols, are explicitly excluded from copyright by the 2013 Copyright law of Azerbaijan.[636-IVQD/2013 Article 7]
Please use {{PD-AZ-exempt}} for Azerbaijan currency images.
COM:CUR Belarus
Belarus
OK Belarusian currency is not copyrighted. Monetary items, together with other state symbols, are explicitly excluded from copyright.[262-Z/2011 Art.7(2)]
Please use {{PD-BY-exempt}} for Belarus currency images.
COM:CUR Belgium
Belgium
- Banknotes
OK Banknotes denominated in Belgian francs issued by the National Bank of Belgium can still be exchanged for an undetermined period of time. The Bank still owns copyrights with regard to the design of the banknotes it has issued, as long as reproductions in advertising or illustrations cannot be mistaken for genuine banknotes they can be used without prior authorisation of the Bank of Belgium. The same kind of restrictions apply to reproductions of Belgium banknotes as to Euro banknotes.[2]
Please use {{Belgian franc banknote}} for Belgian franc banknotes.
- Coins
Unknown
COM:CUR Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Not OK. Banknotes and coins of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina can only be reproduced with the express permission of the Bank, as defined by the law «Official Gazette of BiH» 1/97, Chapter 5, Article 47.[3]
COM:CUR Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Not OK. The Bulgarian National Bank requires written permission for reproduction of Bulgarian banknotes and coins of all emissions in physical or electronic form.[4]
COM:CUR Croatia
Croatia
Not OK. The Croatian National Bank is the holder of all proprietary rights and copyrights on kuna banknotes and kuna and lipa coins, and their reproduction is subject to prior approval of the Croatian National Bank. See: Article 24 of the Act on the Croatian National Bank, Official Gazette 75/2007.
Unsure Croatia has entered the Eurozone on 1. January 2023. Images of the national side of a Croatian euro coin may be shared under specific restrictions. Please see {{Croatian euro coin}}.
COM:CUR Cyprus
Cyprus
No information available
COM:CUR Czech Republic
Czech Republic
OK. Common legal tender of Czechia is not subject to copyright as there is public interest in their exclusion from copyright protection.[121/2000–2006 Art.3(a)]
This does not necessarily apply to special-issue coins, such as precious-metal coins, commemorative coins, special editions of coins for collectors, etc.
Decree No. 274/2011 Coll. of 5 September 2011, consolidated as of 1 January 2017, defines the terms and conditions under which it is possible to reproduce banknotes and coins and to produce objects imitating them:[5] For intangible reproductions of banknotes, it is required that their resolution not exceed 72 dots per inch and that they are marked with the word “specimen” printed diagonally in an opaque colour and in a layer that cannot be separated from the image of the banknote, with the length of the word being at least 75% of the longer side of the banknote and the height being at least 15% of the shorter side of the banknote (or with another word of the same dimensions and similar meaning). Intangible images of coins may always be produced. Tangible reproductions of banknotes and images have different conditions.
Please use {{Money-CZ}} for Czech currency images.
COM:CUR Denmark
Denmark
Not OK. The National Bank of Denmark states:
- Danmarks Nationalbank regularly receives requests from firms and private individuals about reproduction of banknotes and coins. Any reproduction of money should always be considered carefully since it is a criminal offence to imitate and/or copy money in such a way they can be mistaken for genuine money. Moreover, Danmarks Nationalbank's copyright to the banknote and coin designs must be respected.[6][7]
COM:CUR Estonia
Estonia
OK. Estonian currency was removed from the public domain in 2000.[8]
However, Bank of Estonia (Eesti Pank), which holds the copyright to the design of the currency, has allowed reproduction under certain terms:
- Banknotes: As long as reproductions in advertising or illustrations cannot be mistaken for genuine banknotes they can be used without prior authorisation of the Bank of Estonia. Same kind of restrictions apply to reproductions of Estonian kroon banknotes as do to euro banknotes.[9]
- Coins: Reproduction in a non-relief (drawings, paintings, films) format is authorised, provided they are not detrimental to the image of the Estonian kroon.
Please use {{EEK banknote}} or {{EEK coin}} for Estonian currency images.
COM:CUR Finland
Finland
Not OK. Some exceptions do apply. The Bank of Finland claims that using images of banknotes and Euro coins is subject to permission. For Euro banknotes and the shared side of Euro coins: see COM:CRT/European Union:Currency. For markka banknotes, permission has been granted given provided certain guidelines are followed, see below. There is a statement from the Finnish Copyright Council (a semi-official body giving advice on copyright) that the use of an image on a markka coin is not subject to copyright, as the designs of coins were part of decrees. The statement could apply more broadly.
Decisions by governmental institutions are excepted from copyright. This includes images that are part of the decisions (see e.g. statement 1989:13 of the Finnish Copyright Council, on using the image of a coin), unless those are separate works, which is thought to apply only in unusual cases. In the old law on money there was no mention of copyright. Thus the images on markka banknotes and coins should be in the public domain, and likewise the images on the national side of euro coins.
There might be copyright issues, independent of the copyright by governmental bodies, if a design element is a derived work of a pre-existing work. The last 20 mark and 100 mark banknotes are known to be encumbered by this.
Counterfeit legislation does apply: it is criminal to publish images that are confusingly similar to legal tender (chapter 37, article 7 of the penal code). For instructions about Euro notes and coins see above.
The Bank of Finland claims it has copyright on Finnish (i.e. mark) banknotes and states that illegal reproduction of banknotes is punishable as counterfeit or fraud according to chapter 33 and 36 of the Penal Code (these seem not to apply to good faith use), or as breach of copyright.
Sources:
- On copyright protection of the common face design of the euro coins.[10]
- Bank of Finland 2015 guide how to use pictures of the notes.[11]
- Decision of the European central bank of 19 April 2013 on the denominations, specifications, reproduction, exchange and withdrawal of euro banknotes (recast)[12]
- The penal code chapter 37, article 7, and chapter 33 and 36.[13]
- Statement of the Finnish Copyright Council on using an image of the markka coin[14]
- Statement of the Finnish Copyright Council on using an image of the Finnish flag, about coins is summarized[15]
- Statement of the Finnish Copyright Council on coats of arms of municipalities, where the applicability of article 9 of the copyright law is discussed[16]
- Old law on money[17]
COM:CUR France
France
OK Regarding former French currency (francs), case law states that copyright exists, but is paralysed by the ‘allocation to the general interest and character of public service’ of currency. See, for instance, Cour de Cassation 5 February 2002.[18]
Please use {{Money-FR}}.
COM:CUR Georgia
Georgia
OK Georgian currency is not copyrighted. Monetary items, together with other state symbols, are explicitly excluded from copyright by article 8 of Copyright law of Georgia.[2112-IIS/2017 Article 8]
Please use {{PD-GE-exempt}} for Georgian currency images.
COM:CUR Germany
Germany
Not OK except for Deutsche Mark bank notes.
- At present many Commons images of German coins and banknotes use {{PD-GermanGov}}, but this template relies on § 5 Abs. 1 UrhG, which has recently been declared by a low German court (Landgericht) to apply only to text, not images. See discussion at Commons:Village pump/Copyright/Archive/2012/07#German currency.
- Deutsche Bundesbank has confirmed public domain for German DM-banknotes 1949–2001, which is, however, a permission for simple usage only (and not solely sufficient) towards Wikipedia.[19]
- According to the coinciding German copyright literature, works like bank notes, coins and stamps are not to be considered works by the government and are not free.[20] This, however, does not influence above-mentioned permission by Deutsche Bundesbank affecting Deutsche Mark bills (not coins!).
COM:CUR Greece
Greece
Not OK According to the Greek legislation, neither the Bank of Greece not any other Greek authority is competent to provide you or any other interested party with any kind of permission to use the image of the Greek drachmae banknotes. However, without prejudice to the moral right of the designer recognized under Greek law (Law 2121/1993, as in force), there is no legal provision prohibiting the reproduction of drachmae banknotes.
COM:CUR Hungary
Hungary
OK. The Hungarian National Bank (MNB) issued an exemplary decree, which permits reproductions of all forms of Hungarian banknotes and coins in a way which they cannot be misidentified as original, with the most important factor being the usage of the same material as the original. This essentially lifts the counterfeiting restriction from digital copies, without limits (since anyone in possession of a banknote could create a high-quality digital reproduction at ease).[21][22][23][24]
Moreover, they have released a license to allow free usage (unless restricted by the aforementioned anti-counterfeiting decree) of the banknotes they possess direct copyright.[25]This covers most banknotes created since 1983. For all other notes and coins you should still have to locate the author and ask specifically for license, which is not impossible, but tough. In most cases the Magyar Nemzeti Bank is the copyright holder.
The {{HU banknote}} template should be used on recent banknotes. The copyright status for designs of coins should be researched individually. Out-of-copyright banknotes and coins can use {{PD-old}}.
COM:CUR Iceland
Iceland
- Coins designed after December 31, 1953 (current year minus 71 years)
Not OK Copyrights for coins designed after December 31, 1953 are held by the Central Bank of Iceland.
- Coins designed before January 1, 1954 (current year minus 70 years)
OK Iceland Currency becomes public domain because the Icelandic Copyright law (§49) specifies that images considered to be "works of art" become public domain 70 years after creation. Please use {{Icelandic currency}} for currency designed before January 1, 1954.
COM:CUR Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Not OK Irish pre-euro money and the Irish side of euro coins are copyrighted. According to the Copyright Law of 2000, Chapter 24: Copyright: Legal Tender; Irish coins and bank notes are copyrighted, even if issued before that provision became effective.[28/2000 Sec.200(3)]
That is, older coins and bank notes are retroactively placed under copyright. The copyright on legal tender is perpetual, i.e. does not expire at all. The act applies to all coins and banknotes issued since 1926.[28/2000 Sec.200(9)]
Euro banknotes are, however, free to use; see {{Money-EU}}.
COM:CUR Italy
Italy
OK Regarding former Italian currency (lire), the copyright on the artwork is most likely in the public domain. "Copyright in works created and published under the name and at the expense of the State, shall belong to them".[633/1941 art. 11]
"The duration of the exploitation rights belonging to the State (…) shall be twenty years as from first publication, whatever the form in which publication was effected".[633/1941 art. 29] The last distributed lira (the 500.000 bill) was distributed in the first half of 1997, more than 20 years ago.[26]
COM:CUR Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
OK Banknotes, together with other state symbols, are explicitly excluded from copyright by article 8 of Copyright law of Kazakhstan.[419/2015 Article 8]
Please use {{PD-KZ-exempt}} for Kazakhstan currency images.
COM:CUR Latvia
Latvia
OK: Under the Copyright Law of 2000 (as amended up to June 14, 2017),
- The Bank of Latvia holds the copyright of lat banknotes. The Bank of Latvia copyright does not affect the right of the author of the images used on the banknotes to be recognised as the author thereof.[2000-2017 Sec.17'(1)]
- It is prohibited to reproduce banknotes in any way, except in the case, where the Bank of Latvia, the European Central Bank, the central bank or state which has emitted such banknotes has provided written permission or the requirements of the Bank of Latvia, the European Central Bank or the relevant state for the reproduction of banknotes. Restrictions on the economic rights of authors shall not apply to banknotes.[2000-2017 Sec.17'(2)]
Copyright for euro banknotes and common side of euro coins is determined by the European Central Bank (see COM:CRT/European Union:Currency), but copyright of national sides of euro coins is determined by national legislation. The Bank of Latvia suggests that the Regulation for Reproducing the Lats Banknotes and Coins must be met to reproduce lats, and ECB Reproduction rules must be met to reproduce euros. All photographic reproductions of banknotes and coins must comply those criteria. Prior to the amendments, which came into force in May 1 2004, currency was public domain in Latvia per both the unamended 2000 law and 1993 law. Therefore any coins or banknotes that were no longer in circulation by 2004 date are public domain.
Please use {{Latvian coins}} for relevant Latvian coins images and {{Latvian banknote}} for images of Latvian banknotes, as {{PD-LV}} does not apply to Latvian currency.
COM:CUR Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
OK According to the Law of May 19, 1999, on Copyright and Neighboring Rights, "Copyright protection shall not subsist in .. means of payment".[1999-2006 Art.5]
Please use {{PD-Liechtenstein-official}} for the corresponding currency images.
COM:CUR Lithuania
Lithuania
OK The designs of Lithuanian currency, including the national sides of its Euro coins, are not copyrighted.
Monetary items, together with other state symbols, are explicitly excluded from copyright by article 5 of Copyright law of Lithuania. Please use {{PD-LT-exempt}} for Lithuanian currency images.
COM:CUR Luxembourg
Luxembourg
No information available
COM:CUR Malta
Malta
Not OK There is no copyright exception for Maltese currency or governmental work (see articles 2(1)a, 3(1)a and 6(1) of the Maltese copyright act). The Bank of Malta makes currency images available for use, but their disclaimer forbids any kind of derivative work, thus making these files impossible to host on Commons.
COM:CUR Moldova
Moldova
OK Moldova currency is not copyrighted. Monetary items, together with other state symbols, are explicitly excluded from copyright by article 8 of Law on Copyright and Related Rights of Moldova.
Please use {{PD-MD-exempt}} for Moldova currency images.
COM:CUR Monaco
Monaco
No information available
COM:CUR Montenegro
Montenegro
No information available
COM:CUR Netherlands
Netherlands
Not OK: Guilder banknotes are subject to copyright 70 years after the first publication. De Nederlandsche Bank has been contacted and they state that the introduction of the Euro does not change this.
Question Guilder coins may be OK to reproduce, since they are subject to Article 15b of the Auteurswet. Works published by or on behalf of the government can be reproduced, unless copyright has been reserved explicitly by the government at the time of publication. However, even if no reservation was made, only the author has the right to have those works published in a collection.[27]
Not OK National sides of the Euro coins are subject to copyright as well.
Although they are subject to Article 15b, an express reservation of rights has been made by the Dutch government.
COM:CUR Северна Македонија
North Macedonia
No information available
COM:CUR Norway
Norway
Not OK. Norwegian currency is protected by copyright. The Bank of Norway, which administers the rights of the artists, states: "Use of illustrations of Norwegian coins and banknotes must not violate the rights of the authors".
This means, among other things, that the original pattern may not be manipulated. As they are non-derivative, images of Norwegian currency may not be used unless it is in the public domain due to age (70 years after end of year of author's death). When using images of Norwegian currency under fair use rules on other projects, see the Norges Bank Guidelines for the use of Norwegian banknote and coin designs for other conditions that apply, such as size regulations, maximum resolution etc.[28]
COM:CUR Poland
Poland
Not OK. Polish National Bank requires written permission for reproduction of Polish banknotes and coins which are legal tender on the territory of the Republic of Poland in physical or electronic form.[29]
COM:CUR Portugal
Portugal
No information available
COM:CUR Romania
Romania
OK Article 9(d) of the Romanian copyright law of March 14, 1996 excludes means of payment from copyright.
Use {{PD-money-Romania}} to tag reproductions of Romanian currency.
COM:CUR Russia
Russia
OK Russian currency is not copyrighted. Monetary items, together with other state symbols, are explicitly excluded from copyright by article 1259(6) of Part IV of the Civil Code of Russia (which covers intellectual property rights). Drafts for such items, however, are copyrighted by their authors. When a public body adopts such a draft and turns it into an official symbol, the resulting official symbol is not copyrighted and may be reproduced without mentioning the original author(s) of the draft. (See article 1264.)
Monetary items were already excluded from copyright in the 1993 legislation, which was in effect until the end of 2007. See article 8 of the 1993 law, as amended in 2004.
Please use {{PD-RU-exempt}} for images of Russian currency.
COM:CUR San Marino
San Marino
No information available
COM:CUR Serbia
Serbia
COM:CUR Slovakia
Slovakia
Not OK. The Slovak National Bank does not provide information about copyright on images of currency.[30]
Some third parties, such as shops, have been granted permission to deal with Slovakian currency.[31] Slovakia has used the Euro since 2009. See COM:CRT/European Union Currency for more information.
COM:CUR Slovenia
Slovenia
Not OK: The copyright on the design of the tolar and other obsolete currencies as well as the national sides of the euro coins is held by the Bank of Slovenia.
Slovenia has used the Euro since 1 January 2007. See COM:CRT/European Union: Currency for more information.
COM:CUR Spain
Spain
OK: Regarding former Spanish national currency, the pesetas, there is "no significant jurisprudence on the application of copyright to banknotes" per 1999 Report on the Legal Protection of Banknotes in the European Union Member States. Additionally, there is "no use of the copyright symbol: © on Spanish banknotes". The rules for reproduction of pesetas only have provisions for advertising purposes. Reproductions for teaching materials in particular do not require the authorisation of the Bank of Spain.[32]
{{PD-SpanishGov-money}} can be used to tag images of Spanish pesetas.
Spain has used the Euro since 1 January 2002. See COM:CRT/European Union:Currency for Euro banknotes and the shared side of Euro coins.
Not OK for the national side of Euro coins.
COM:CUR Sweden
Sweden
Not OK. Currency may be protected by copyright in Sweden. Riksbanken advices that the original authors of the works used on banknotes and coins may decide to sue if they feel their moral rights have been violated (which may mean the economic rights are not an issue for Swedish currency).
There were undecided lawsuits on the matter at the time of the deletion request. Riksbanken itself seems not to have any claims. On the issue of counterfeit Riksbanken cites the Euro instructions as probably sufficient safeguards.[33]
COM:CUR Switzerland
Switzerland
OK. Currency is not covered by copyright in Switzerland. Article 5(1)(b) of the Swiss copyright law from 1993 on works not subject to copyright explicitly excludes monetary items from copyright.
Reproduction of banknotes that may be confused with genuine bills is prohibited by article 243 of the Swiss Penal Code.[34] The Swiss National Bank has issued guidelines on how to reproduce banknotes in a way they believe are permissible.[35] Printing "Specimen" across the image and not reproducing the bills at their true size or in their true colors are recommendations.
{{PD-Switzerland-official}} can be used to tag images of Swiss currency.
COM:CUR Türkiye
Turkey
OK: Electronic reproductions of banknotes and coins are permitted by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, under the following conditions:[36][37]
- They must not exceed 72 dpi (dots per inch); and
- The expression “ÖRNEKTİR GEÇMEZ” or “SPECIMEN” must be printed diagonally across the reproduction in Arial font or a font similar to Arial font. The length of the expression “ÖRNEKTİR GEÇMEZ” or “SPECIMEN” must be at least 75 percent of the length of reproduction, and the height thereof must be at least 15 percent of the width of the reproduction. The characters must be written in a non-transparent (opaque) color contrasting with the dominant color of the respective banknote. In two-sided reproductions, the abovementioned expression must be printed on both sides.
COM:CUR Ukraine
Ukraine
OK Ukrainian currency is not copyrighted. Monetary items, together with other state symbols, are explicitly excluded from copyright by article 10 of Copyright law of Ukraine.[3792-XII/199-2017 Art.10(e)]
Please use {{PD-UAGov-Money}} for Ukrainian currency images.
COM:CUR United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Not OK. UK banknotes are fully protected by copyright. The Bank of England owns the copyright on its banknotes, and all banknotes carry a © notice.[38]
No images of these banknotes may be uploaded to Commons. Those that are will be deleted.
Coin designs are copyrighted by the Royal Mint.[39]
Publishing images of coins is not prohibited by the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981.[40] Its Section 19 refers only to "imitation British coins", defined as "any thing which resembles a British coin in shape, size and the substance of which it is made". The implication here is that images cannot resemble the substance of the real coins. However, since such images may only be published with the official consent of the Royal Mint, none of these images is allowed on Commons.
The Royal Mint's copyright on coin designs is an instance of Crown Copyright. Sculptures subject to Crown Copyright which were created more than 50 years ago are now in the public domain: use {{PD-UKGov}}. Images of British coins with designs created more than 50 years ago are permissible provided that the author of the work containing the coins is willing to release his / her copyright to the reuse of the image, which is a separate copyright concern and must also be addressed.
The Bank of England is not a government department, so its banknotes follow the usual rules of copyright: usually 70 years from the death of the author ({{PD-old-70}}) or 70 years from publication where the author is unknown ({{PD-UK-unknown}}).
Scottish and Northern Irish banks will retain their own copyright on banknotes independent of the Bank of England; however, in the United Kingdom, it is a criminal offence under s18(1) of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 "to reproduce on any substance whatsoever, and whether or not on the correct scale, any British currency note or any part of a British currency note."[40] The term "British currency note" is defined as something which "has been lawfully issued in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland", "is or has been customarily used as money in the country where it was issued", and is payable on demand" - this includes Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes, as well as those issued by the Bank of England.
COM:CUR Vatican City
Vatican City
No information available
Specific status[edit]
COM:CUR Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Further information: Commons:Copyright rules by territory/Cyprus#CUR
COM:CUR Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
No information available
COM:CUR Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Not OK section 447(1) and 448(1) of the Crimes Act (Act 23 of 2011) makes the reproduction of currency notes and protected coins (which includes Gibraltar pound coins) without the prior permission of relevant authorities an offence.
COM:CUR Bailiwick of Guernsey
Bailiwick of Guernsey
No information available
COM:CUR Isle of Man
Isle of Man
No information available
COM:CUR Jersey
Jersey
No information available
COM:CUR Svalbard
Template:Svalbard
Commons:Copyright rules by territory/Svalbard
Limited recognition[edit]
COM:CUR Abkhazia
Abkhazia
No information available
COM:CUR Kosovo
Kosovo
No information available
COM:CUR South Ossetia
South Ossetia
No information available
COM:CUR Transnistria
Transnistria
No information available
COM:CUR Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus
No information available
COM:CUR United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus
United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus
No information available
partly located in Europe[edit]
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