Reducing the risk of counterfeit damage through authentication with tags and smartphones
In recent years, the rampant proliferation of counterfeit products in markets worldwide has become a serious issue. To mitigate the threat of counterfeit products that can damage brand trust and trigger market losses, and to create a society where everyone can confidently purchase reliable products, we offer a Digital Traceability Service.
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Digital Traceability Service――Introducing the advanced
Challenges faced by companies regarding counterfeit products
- Inquiries about counterfeit products are increasing, especially from overseas.
- Costs are incurred for shipping from overseas, as well as for component testing and analysis when inquiries arise.
- Customer support requires a significant number of human resources.
- The manufacturing techniques and concealment methods of counterfeit products are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
- The longer it takes to respond, the higher the risk of brand damage.
Solutions provided by our service and benefits of post-counterfeit measures
In addition to post-incident responses, our service offers proactive measures to combat counterfeit damage. Implementing these preventive measures helps mitigate risks and reduce response costs after an incident occurs.
Endless counterfeit damage
The trade volume of counterfeit and pirated goods continues to expand globally. Recent surveys indicate that over 15,000 Japanese companies have reported being ‘victims of counterfeiting’. Moreover, many affected companies have stated that the counterfeit products are ‘indistinguishable from genuine products’, highlighting the increasing sophistication of counterfeiting techniques.
Actual state of counterfeit damage
Features of the Digital Traceability Service
Addressing counterfeit damage with tag technology and smartphones tailored to specific uses
The Digital Traceability Service utilises various tag technologies and smartphones to perform authenticity verification and capture timestamps and location information. In addition to traditional barcodes and QR codes, our service offers the latest ‘invisible and highly variable’ tag technologies. We provide the optimal method for authenticity verification tailored to meet our customers’ needs.
List of available tags
Features of invisible tags
1.High difficulty in counterfeiting
Invisible tags are extremely small, measuring 0.05 to 0.1 mm, making them undetectable to the naked eye and very difficult to locate.
Additionally, the simultaneous verification of tag information and background images makes counterfeiting highly challenging.
2.High variability
Invisible tags can be applied in various ways, such as mixing them with liquids, which means they do not affect the design. For example, tags can be mixed into the ink used for printing logos on products, enabling the product itself to have authentication capabilities.
3.Easy and fast
Using a smartphone app, quick authentication can be performed at the location where the counterfeit is detected.
4.Easy to implement
There are various attachment methods available, allowing for implementation without changing the manufacturing process.
Examples of usable areas
- Pharmaceuticals/health supplements
- Daily necessities
- Films/packaging
- Wine bottles
- Food products
Tag reading method
Using a smartphone app, authenticity can be easily and quickly verified.
By holding the smartphone over the tag attached to the product, the app reads the information from the tag and determines authenticity. It also captures information such as location and timestamps, which can be used not only for authenticity verification but also for identifying the origin of counterfeit products.
Mobile application-compatible devices
Please consult with a PwC representative to determine the mobile devices you will use.
To download the PDF for ‘Authentication service for counterfeit measures: Digital Traceability Service’, please fill out the required information in the form below.
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