An Integrated Track and Trace Digital Branding Protection Solution provides the tools to manage the supply chain of any product, anywhere, anytime; even those sold on-line. Recent news of sales of fake goods on-line highlights the need for an integrated forensic solution to combat counterfeiting and brand larceny. Internet sales activity complicates the situation due to the direct relationship between seller and buyer and lack of control of internet sales. Studies have shown that a significant number of top brand product sales on the internet have been fake goods – as much as 40% of the sales of one prime brand owner’s goods proved to be fake. The damage to the brand owner is significant – the lost value of a sale to someone who wanted a real item; the risk now attendant to the next potential buyer who perceives that many fakes are in the market; and, in some cases a failure of the apparently real goods to perform to standard.
The degree of fake goods and the need for a supply chain protection that encompasses even the internet sale is highlighted by a French court’s order for EBay to pay 38.6 million Euros ($60.8 million) in damages to the French luxury goods company LVMH for the sale of fake goods through their channel of internet auctions! A July 1st, 2008 article published by The New York Times details the explosion of counterfeiting and the need for a solution to on-line brand protection issue.
PhotoSecure DNA Technologies has an effective set of taggants, inks and readers that provide the key technology for an integrated solution to the seemingly impossible task that brand owners and EBay and other companies face in this growing internet commerce field.
An integrated Track-and-Trace solution, using DNA Matrix™ taggants in invisible code marks made readable by SmartDye® fluorescent taggants begins the process. The marks are printed by digital ink jet at just the last minute and scanned with special bar code readers to authenticate the individual item and track it through its lifetime. The PhotoSecure solution uses forensic, covert DNA marks in combination with overt, transparent, customer legible marks, producing a reliable and inexpensive solution to counterfeiting and diversion. Track-and-Trace starts on the production floor all the way to the customer’s hands providing transparency to the location and authenticity of the item any where, any time, any place in the world. The DNA marker provides the ultimate forensic element for legal “comfort” and for maximum anti-counterfeiting deterrence.
Wendell Smith, President of PhotoSecure, mentioned key points in his speech at the Brand Protection Conference in February 2008. In the most complete supply chain tracking model, the enterprise IT system uses a common unique identifier code throughout the supply chain and code readers with security elements bring the data into the manufacturing and supply data collection system. Thus the security element is being run in conjunction with the enterprise management system and protecting the brand from manufacturer, to distributer, and to consumer. Various technologies are integrated including; computer generated encrypted Unique Identifier Codes “numbers” with secure memory for data management, printed forensic DNA marks on brand products by digital printers placing “last minute” coded marks with Unique Identifier Codes, Optical Scanners at each point in the distribution chain all occurring in normal production operations and fully integrated to enterprise computer management programs.
- Wendell Smith, Chairman, DNA Technologies; February 2008
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