Product Authentication

Demands for more product protection

Our everyday lives are based on certainties: we expect our outdoor jackets to protect us from the rain, our antibiotics to be what they say they are and not made of baking powder, and roller coasters to be safe. But how can we be really sure?

Product piracy damages business and consumers

Product piracy (the counterfeiting of branded products) is no longer a niche market – today it is a global, booming business. Pirates mainly target brand-name manufacturers, like the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries and the components market. The losers are companies and consumers alike. The economic damage caused by product piracy is umpteen billions of euros, without mentioning the consequences for the labor market.

It is not just manufacturers who are battling against the rising stream of counterfeit components that are hard to identify and put the safety of their facilities and products at risk. Consumers are also having to worry about damage to their health from counterfeit drugs and cosmetics. And the money invested in luxury goods is usually wasted if it is spent on a poor-quality imitation.

Telling real from fake

So what must be done? A reactive approach would not work because the technological know-how of this shadow industry is increasing along with its financial power. Giesecke & Devrient’s advanced product protection is aimed at hitting product pirates in their Achilles’ heel: the rate of detection. Smart security features are integrated in products in such a way that counterfeits are detected before they can be purchased, ingested, or used. The aim is to achieve a sustainable, high rate of detection which eventually deprives the product pirates of their market base.