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Court Rules Fake Money Violates Bank of Israel Copyright

Court Rules Fake Money Violates Bank of Israel Copyright

(Bloomberg) -- Two counterfeiters convicted of printing fake money have been successfully sued by the Bank of Israel for violating its copyright.

The central bank brought a civil suit against the two for damages after they were convicted of printing tens of thousands of shekels of fake bills. A magistrate’s court approved an agreement with one of the two to pay the bank 150,000 ($40,000) shekels in compensation. The other counterfeiter, who did not respond to the suit against him, was ordered to pay 400,000 shekels, the full amount of the damages sought.

The state prosecutor’s office said the lawsuit set a precedent for counterfeiting cases, by using a civil action as a supplementary tool to criminal indictments.

“This is an important ruling that will serve to deter criminals from counterfeiting,” Bank of Israel director general Hezi Kalo said.

The bank’s notes incorporate several security features, including a glittering strip that can be seen by tilting the note, raised ink, and microtext and micronumbers.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alisa Odenheimer in Jerusalem at aodenheimer@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Mark Williams

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