Currency in Adobe Stock

[jane-e]

Hi

The Photoshop forum gets the questions about why they cannot open an image of currency that they have purchased from Adobe Stock, and we have to tell them that Photoshop includes a counterfeit deterrence system (CDS) that prevents the use of the product to illegally duplicate banknotes. I've just now answered another such question.

My question here is: why does Adobe Stock permit images of currency that can be counterfeited? Can they be removed from the site? It is unethical to have these images available for public use. 

Here is what Adobe has to say about it in Help:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/cds.html

Jane E.

Adobe Community Professional

[WendellaBee]

Because these images can be modified and used in a modified state. For instance images can be converted to duotone and used in a design.

[jane-e]

Hi

Thank you for your response, @EvilBugQueen, but how does one make a duotone or otherwise make modifications when Photoshop won't even open the image?

This is the file the OP purchased and cannot open:  329573176

Here is a link to his thread, but there have been others on the Photoshop forums:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/does-photoshop-secretly-scan-your-images/m-p/11418060?page=...

From Adobe Help:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/cds.html

"Adobe® Photoshop® software includes a counterfeit deterrence system (CDS) that prevents the use of the product to illegally duplicate banknotes. As implemented, CDS prevents users from opening detailed images of banknotes within Photoshop."

~ Jane

[WendellaBee]

Let me look into this Jane. That behavior seems different from what I remember.

[WendellaBee]

The files can be opened in Illustrator.

[jane-e]

Thank you for looking into this, EvilBugQueen!

Interesting that they can be opened in Illustrator. Then again, they can't be edited in Illustrator. Images can only be modified or made into duotones in Photoshop.

Cheers,

Jane

[WendellaBee]

It's because of laws to prevent counterfeiting. Hence these limitations.

[Abambo · Accepted solution]

Hi EBQ,

According to my information, it should not be possible to enter those images in the stock database. But the images that are in the database had been entered (probably) before this rule got enforced even probably before it was called Adobe stock. I know that I had some 15-20 years ago a problem with a colour copy machine that would not not copy paper money, but I was able to scan and edit the picture on my desktop scanner and Photoshop and to print to that same copier.

The built in copy protection in the software is relatively new (5 to 10 years) because printers got better in time and copied notes got used for payement. It works by analyzing the structure of the image, so it may be that pictures may be refused because they have a similar structure. 

That Illustrator opens those pictures is weird and schows that not all code is shared inside the Adobe organisation. Illustrator should also refuse those pictures. 

And btw: Adobe should remove them from the stock database IMHO.

[WendellaBee]

This has been an issue since Adobe Stock launched five years ago. There are limitations of what can be done with currency because of the subject matter.

[jacquelingphoto2017]

Hi Jane-e,

I am not sure of the circumstances that allows those full currency to be on the Adobe stock site. It could be that they were there before the intellectual property policy was written, or was inherited from Fotolia. According to the Legal policy of Adobe, For commercial purpose, images of any paper money should only be 75% visible for some countries, and other countries its a no no. I am not sure of the policy for editorial purpose. Therefore it is possible that it was as a result of an oversight that they were not removed.

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/known-image-restrictions.html#general

Best wishes

JG

[WendellaBee]

This is not correct. The currency assets can be used but there are certain limitation because of counterfeiting laws. https://www.treasury.gov/services/Pages/Regulations-for-Reproducing-US-Currency-Images.aspx

[WhitneyEQ]

So Adobe Employees/ EBQs -

Please explain why this image AdobeStock_404167062.jpeg. Cannot be opened in Photoshop, but this image can AdobeStock_86749097.jpeg?  Makes ZERO sense.  Common sense would tell you the latter would be the one not editible in Photoshop.  Who's the currency police at Adobe making these decisions? 

[Abambo]

Adobe is using an algorithm that, as of my knowledge, did not have been developed in-house and that scans the picture for structures found on money. The algorithm produces false positives and false negatives.