# PhotoFender - Heard of it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 24, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084 "2005-03-24T20:31:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/1 "2005-03-24T20:31:13Z")
[http://www.photofender.com/index.php](http://www.photofender.com/index.php) A friend told me about this stuff. It’s a material that is sprayed on to your license plate(s), much like spray paint, that renders the plate(s) invisible to stoplight cameras, yet is completely visible to the eye. From the site: > [@](#): > > Q. Is Photofender legal? > > A. YES. The law states in most countries and U.S. States that a license plate must be legible to the naked eye. Using Photofender does not obstruct your license plates, it is a clear reflected coat spray that is virtually transparent. That’s the beauty of the product, it only stops the camera’s not the naked eye or the color of your plates. California has stoplight cameras, and I imagine that some other states do as well. For those that don’t have these in your state, blowing through a red light at a camera equiped intersection will net you a pricey little gift in the mail some weeks later. I’m definitely not in the habit of running stoplights, but there have been a couple of times that a light has turned yellow just as I made the commitment to proceed through an intersection, and I cringed at the idea that I may have reached the sensors just a bit too late and triggered the camera. I haven’t yet, and I do drive safely sub[/sub] but this juice costs $40 a can, and seems to be cheap insurance against a very costly traffic ticket. I’m also concerned that this might be a scam. Anybody have any idea how this stuff works? Perhaps the stoplight cameras are IR cameras, and the stuff prevents IR reflection? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/2 "2005-03-24T20:41:47Z")
Here in Pennsylvania all products meant to prevent stop light cameras from photographing your plate are illegal. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/3 "2005-03-24T20:53:48Z")
I’d like to see the specific CA vehicle code section that says it’s legal to attempt to defeat redlight cameras. The complete absence of usable contact information certainly makes it smell fishy. A wehois search reveals: PhotoFender Corp (39165552O) 113 West G Street Suite 414 San Diego, CA 92101 US Phone: 18668574686 Their filing with the ciity of San Diego lists what appears to be a bogus address - 3500 Sports Arena Blvd - the address of the San Diego Sports Arena. Hmmm… Is that trout I smell? Looks like they spend $125 to [set up](http://www.projectslist.biz/go.php?21592) the website, even. ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/4 "2005-03-24T21:32:29Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I’d like to see the specific CA vehicle code section that says it’s legal to attempt to defeat redlight cameras. Assuming the stuff actually does work as advertised, and assuming that there is a law on the books that makes this illegal, how would I get caught? This stuff is supposed to be optically transparent and invisible to the naked eye. If I did blow through a stoplight and was caught on film, the authorities would be able to say “Hmm…this guy was using that PhotoFender stuff - wish we knew who it was so that we could arrest him for using it.” The stuff was advertised on an one of the major LA radio stations recently. ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/5 "2005-03-24T21:39:46Z")
Huh… I didn’t see this before, but the site has a “Reviews/Testimonial” page that is completely blank. Maybe this is a scam… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/6 "2005-03-24T21:44:35Z")
Don’t the stoplight cameras take a photograph of your license plate? In that case, I doubt they are IR cameras, and if the plate is visible to the naked eye, it should be visible to the camera. I don’t see how it could work. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@MC\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_E)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/7 "2005-03-24T21:50:14Z")
I read something about this stuff, but I can’t find the article now. From what I remember the coating is designed to brightly reflect the light from the flash the redlight camera uses, causing the plate to appear washed-out in the photo. I wouldn’t count on it working, especially with all the photo-enhancement technology that is out there. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/8 "2005-03-24T21:50:54Z")
> [@Fritz](#): > > Assuming the stuff actually does work as advertised, and assuming that there is a law on the books that makes this illegal, how would I get caught? Could you clarify that? It seems like you’re saying ‘It’s okay to intentionally break the law, as long as I don’t get caught.’ > [@](#): > > The stuff was advertised on an one of the major LA radio stations recently. Big deal. This does not mean that the product works ( see the many ads for Relicor, Xenderin, Metabolife) or is legal (Does your city’s Yellow Pages have section titled ‘Escorts’ which is clearly for prostitutes? Philadelphia’s does. ) ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/9 "2005-03-24T22:02:22Z")
Here’s a similar product that looks quite a bit more legitimate: [http://www.outfoxphoto.com/videos.html](http://www.outfoxphoto.com/videos.html) **DocCathode** , I have no interest in breaking the law - I have made a technical and theoretical inquiry only. In this case it seems to be a bending, not a breaking, of the law. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/10 "2005-03-24T22:12:56Z")
Some articles I found said these products might work if the camera is a still camera, but that some cities use a video camera, and these products would not work there. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/11 "2005-03-24T22:39:16Z")
Just checked, and it appears to be a clean break of the law that can land you in prison. California Vehicle Code Section 4463: (a) Every person who, with intent to prejudice, damage, or defraud, commits any of the following acts is guilty of a felony and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, two or three years, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year: (1) Alters, forges, counterfeits, or falsifies any certificate of ownership, registration card, certificate, license, license plate, device issued pursuant to Section 4853 Section 5201 says: (g) No casing, shield, frame, border, or other device that obstructs or impairs the reading or recognition of a license plate by a remote emission sensing device, as specified in Sections 44081 and 44081.6 of the Health and Safety Code, shall be installed on, or affixed to, a vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photofender-heard-of-it/296084/12 "2005-03-24T23:34:25Z")
> [@Fritz](#): > > seems to be cheap insurance against a very costly traffic ticket. > [@Fritz](#): > > **DocCathode** , I have no interest in breaking the law Seems to me that you do.