Combating Counterfeiters in the World of Licensing
Counterfeiting is on the rise globally, as fraudsters flood international and domestic markets with fake versions of products offered by established brands. In a 2022 article, the US Chamber of Commerce stated that the global cost of counterfeiting was over $500 billion a year* . It’s big business for the criminals who capitalise on the consumers’ desire for bargain prices.
In this illegal activity, the counterfeiters are the only winners. The losers are the consumers who end up with a poor-quality, potentially dangerous copies, and the brand owners whose reputations and revenues suffers. Increasingly, authentication labels and other security solutions are being utilized as vital weapons in the battle against counterfeit goods.
Superior brand protection
SCRIBOS, a KURZ group company, is a leading provider in the brand protection space, offering a range of advanced security labels, seals and printed solutions. These solutions, both digital and physical, offer superior protection against counterfeiters and provide improved market insights.
The technology is forgery-proof. In a number of their solutions, SCRIBOS embeds security patterns in QR codes – adding a layer of software security. Users simply scan the code on their smartphone to access the authentication process, showing them if a product is genuine or not. Consumers don’t even need to download an app to do this.
Recognizing that fans stand at the heart of any licensing program, SCRIBOS has developed an interactive tag that is designed to provide a more engaging user experience. After scanning the QR code, users are given the option to access interactive elements and links to sites providing more information about the products purchased or sites selling additional products. As a result, companies can expect increased engagement with their fans, giving them fresh market insights.
SCRIBOS even offer a range of environmentally friendly options!
SCRIBOS technology is used by many high-profile brands, including the Bel Group, the French Football Federation, and the French National Rugby League.
Lookout for the 3 Ps
So, what can consumers themselves do to avoid purchasing knockoffs? The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, a non-profit organisation based in
Washington DC, recommends looking out for the 3 Ps: price, packaging and place.
- Price – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is
- Packaging – if a product is sold without its packaging or the packaging is poor quality, for example, blurry pictures and grammatical errors, it’s likely to be
counterfeit - Place – only buy from where you’d expect the product to be sold, such as established stores and be careful if ordering online
Counterfeiters are adept at creating fake websites, so check the fine print in the product descriptions and look out for typos and grammatical mistakes.
Smarter decision making
The partnership between Dependable Solutions and SCRIBOS is bringing a new level of service and commitment to the licensing industry. Licensees and licensors can make smarter, data driven, decisions, with the benefit of the added security they need to operate in today’s markets.
Through innovative and secure product markings, combined with cutting-edge digital tools, the partnership is helping brand owners around the world combat counterfeiting, grey market trading, and unauthorised over production. As an added bonus, they can benefit from enhanced customer engagement and valuable track-and-trace insights.
Visit Us
Dependable Solutions and SCRIBOS will be at the Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) tradeshow at the London Excel, taking place October 4 th to October 6 th .
Schedule a meeting to find out more about this ground- breaking partnership:
US Chamber of Commerce reference
All images courtesy of SCRIBOS