Canadians honoring the memory of Leonard Nimoy by altering older versions of the country’s $5 bill to look like Star Trek’s Spock are not breaking the law, according to officials.
Canucks have long been touching up Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s features with black ink to make the country’s seventh Prime Minister resemble the famed Vulcan.
But following Nimoy’s death last week, Canadians have been posting images of their own revamped $5 notes online en masse, sparking fears that an untold number were breaking the law.
On Monday, the Bank of Canada dispelled rumors that it’s illegal to deface or even “mutilate” the country’s currency, according to a report in the Canadian Press.
However, the country’s fiscal authorities pointed out that marring the national currency could be deemed disrespectful.
“The Bank of Canada feels that writing and markings on banknotes are inappropriate as they are a symbol of our country and a source of national pride,” Josianne Menard, a spokesperson from the Bank of Canada, told the Canadian Press.
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