The use of technology in the fight against counterfeiting

June 10 (Portaltic/EP) –

He trade in counterfeit goods it can be combated with the help of technology, as demonstrated by the ‘eCommerce’ giant Amazon, but also technology companies such as SICPA, which offers solutions so that companies with fewer resources can protect the legitimacy of their assets.

Counterfeit goods present a challenge to the economy, for violate intellectual property rights and affect sales and income for brands, but also for society, since they can be a health and safety risk of people, as they tend to be of inferior quality.

According to a joint report of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published in January, the products that are most counterfeited are electrical machinery and electronic itemswhich account for 30 per cent of seizures at the borders of the European Union, followed by the garments (18%), perfumery products and cosmetics (10%) and games and toys (also 10%).

The report highlights that the main route of purchase of counterfeit products is the Internet. An example of this is the ‘eCommerce’ Amazon, which only last year seized more than six million counterfeit products, twice as many as in 2021.

To carry out these actions, the multinational establishes rigorous preventive controls to deter offenders, provides brands with protection tools, promotes accountability for counterfeiters for their illegal actions, and educates consumers about these fraudulent practices.

But as the aforementioned report points out, affected companies often lack resources to detect and counteract the risk posed by the trade in counterfeit goods effectively, something that is seen especially in SMEs.

In this context, the company SICPA has developed the security technology I REV. This anti-counterfeit solution combines layers of inks, holographs and special QR codes with digital securityregistered and insured against any type of violation with a data validation mobile application.

Its managers explain in a press release that “adding material and digital security elements in the marking and activation of the product protects the legitimacy of the good and drastically reduces illegal trade”, in such a way that “profitability increases and the cost decreases, and then the final profitability of the company rises substantially”.

REVEO has just arrived in Europe after its initial launch in the American market, and already has more than 5,000 million labels distributed among the main companies in high-value segments, and in markets such as agri-food, luxury items, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, seeds or vehicle parts.