# Is there a reason why we never see real money used in movies or TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739 "2007-03-20T17:23:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739/21 "2007-03-22T03:50:58Z")
Just like I’ve always said: money is expensive. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739/22 "2007-03-22T05:11:45Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] I’ve seen both fake bills and real bills in movies and TV shows. [/QUOTE] My brother and I pay particular attention to this, as he always thought only fake money is showed on TV. Our research confirms your statement. Both fake and real bills are used in TV shows and movies. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739/23 "2007-03-22T13:34:34Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] My brother and I pay particular attention to this, as he always thought only fake money is showed on TV. Our research confirms your statement. Both fake and real bills are used in TV shows and movies. [/QUOTE] But I’d be surprised if you knew of an example of real money used in a movie before about 1960 or so. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739/24 "2007-03-22T16:19:28Z")
[QUOTE=Terminus Est] Magicians on TV perform tricks with dollar bills all the time. If it were illegal to film money they would be picked up by the Secret Service in no time. [/QUOTE] Sure, but wouldn’t the magician then just disappear? ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739/25 "2007-03-22T16:43:00Z")
Who owns the copyright to designs for the various US denominations, and would their permission be required for them to appear in a film, TV programme or commercial? > [@£20 banknote](#): > > ©The Governor and Company of The Bank of England 1999. So unauthorised reproduction that wasn’t deemed to be counterfeiting (such as showing a note in an advert) could be challenged under copyright law. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739/26 "2007-03-22T16:50:53Z")
Not a copyright issue; U.S. copyright law explicitly says that the federal government cannot hold copyrigthts on its own behalf. Anti-counterfeiting laws are not part of the U.S. copyright code. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739/27 "2007-03-22T16:59:43Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Not a copyright issue; U.S. copyright law explicitly says that the federal government cannot hold copyrigthts on its own behalf. [/QUOTE] That sounds a little silly. > [@Walloon](#): > > Anti-counterfeiting laws are not part of the U.S. copyright code. Neither are the British laws. [The rules for coins and notes (PDF)](http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./media/502/D9/502D9B6F-BCDC-D4B3-1ACA50E01A806B7E.pdf). ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739/28 "2007-03-22T17:51:43Z")
[QUOTE=Szlater] That sounds a little silly… [/QUOTE] It’s not. Works created by the United States Government are explicitly not copyrighted. [Cite](http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode17/usc_sec_17_00000105----000-.html). ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739/29 "2007-03-22T22:28:35Z")
When I worked at the fundraising department of a UK charity we used to have to get authorisation from the Treasury or the Royal Mint for reproducing small images of a £10 note in fundraising materials. IIRC they couldn’t be full size, and had to overlap, and there was also some rule about showing or not showing the Queen’s head. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-why-we-never-see-real-money-used-in-movies-or-tv/396739.md?page=1)