Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 106 Part 5.djvu/432

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106 STAT. 4070 PUBLIC LAW 102-550—OCT. 28, 1992 Subtitle E—Counterfeit Deterrence Counterfeit Deterrence Act of 1992. 18 USC 471 note. SEC. 15S1. SHORT TITLE. This subtitle may be cited as the "Counterfeit Deterrence Act of 1992". SEC. 15S2. INCREASE IN PENALTIEa Section 474 of title 18, United States Code, is amended— (1) by inserting "(a)" before "Whoever" the first time it appears; (2) by striking "United States; or" at the end of the sixth undesignated paragraph and inserting "United States—**; (3) by striking the seventh undesignated paragraph; (4) by amending the last undesignated paragraph to read as follows: "Is guilty of a class C felony."; and (5) by adding at the end thereof the following: "(b) For purposes of this section, the terms 'plate, 'stone', 'thing^, or 'other thing* includes any electronic method used for the acquisition, recording, retrieval, transmission, or reproduction of any obligation or other security, unless such use is authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury. The Secretary shall establish a system (pursuant to section 504) to ensure that the legitimate use of such electronic methods and retention of such reproductions by businesses, hobb3dsts, press and others shall not be imduly restricted. ". SEC. 1563. DETERRENTS TO COUNTERFEITING. (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 25 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 474 the following new section: §474A. Deterrents to counterfeiting of obligations and securities "(a) Whoever has in his control or possession, after a distinctive paper has been adopted by the Secretary of the Treasury for the obligations and other securities of the United States, any similar paper adapted to the making of any such obligation or other security, except under the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury, is guilty of a class C felony. "(b) Whoever has in his control or possession, after a distinctive counterfeit deterrent has been adopted by the Secretary of the Treasury for the obligations and other securities of the United States by publication in the Federal Register, any essentially identical feature or device adapted to the m^ng of any such obligation or security, except under the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury, is guilty of a class C felony. "(c) As used in this section— "(1) the term 'distinctive paper* includes any distinctive medium of which currency is made, whether or wood pulp, rag, plastic substrate, or other natural or artificial fibers or materials; and "(2) the term 'distinctive coiuiterfeit deterrent' includes any ink, watermark, aeal, security thread, optically variable device, or other feature or device; "(A) in which the United States has an exclusive property interest; or