Reproduction regime

In accordance with what is clarified in Articles 6 and 19 of Law No. 101/2013, the copyright on designs

• Of the euro banknotes belongs to the ECB;

• of the common face of euro coins belongs to the European Union, represented by the European Commission;

• of the national side of the San Marino euro coins belongs to the Excellency Chamber.

Reproduction of images, tangible or intangible, using all or part of the banknote or part of its individual figurative elements (color, size, letters, symbols, etc.) is to be considered unlawful whenever it is likely to be mistaken by the public for genuine banknotes. This circumstance can be excluded with certainty only in cases where the reproduction can be classified in at least one of the categories listed in the fifth paragraph of the aforementioned Article 6, to which reference is made.
Likewise, the full or partial reproduction of the designs of the common face of euro coins may also be deemed lawful only in the cases exhaustively listed in the second paragraph of the aforementioned Article 19, to which reference is made.

For the protection of copyright, as declined above, it is also provided by Law No. 101/2013 that reproductions which, although unsuitable to mislead the public, are nevertheless detrimental to the image of the euro, are to be considered irregular.

In any case of illegal or otherwise irregular reproduction that has come to the attention of the Central Bank, the latter may order the author to stop its production and, where appropriate, the holder to hand it over, all in cooperation with the ECB. The production, sale, importation and distribution for the purpose of sale of medals and tokens similar to euro coins are also to be considered prohibited, pursuant to and in accordance with the better provisions of Article 20 of the aforementioned Law No. 101/2013. Even in these cases Central Bank, with the cooperation of the Central Office for Counterfeit Currency, has supervisory duties.

However, it is possible to preliminarily submit banknote reproductions to the Central Bank in order to request confirmation about their unsuitability to mislead the public or harm the image of the euro; Central Bank, after consultation with ECB, will then issue its opinion. Likewise, outside the permitted cases, the reproduction of all or part of the designs of the common face of euro coins is subject to express authorization by the Central Bank, which will issue it only after positive verification with the competent foreign authorities from a technical point of view. For further information on the above, please contact Central Bank or write directly to euro.riproduzioni@bcsm.sm.