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De La Rue is globally recognised for providing reliable, adaptable, and rapid-to-implement authentication solutions for businesses and governmental applications. Through our industry leading services, we are helping to prevent illicit and counterfeit trade worldwide.
In this article, Tim Long, our Head of Physical Development, Authentication, details the impact that our continued research and development bring to organisations across the world.
What trends are emerging in the future in terms of counterfeit activity?
We can see that digital printing has become a top concern for organisations, as increased capability has allowed these new assets to simulate higher-resolution print where the general public cannot always tell the difference. This means that more people are at risk of falling victim to counterfeit products and materials.
Another emerging trend is the growth of illegitimate barcodes, making a quick and easy money loss for both people and corporations. We have secure methods / technologies to protect from scanning and reprint using commercial or professional hardware, preventing reuse attacks of the same codes.
What role does Research & Development play in staying ahead of counterfeiters?
Our team is continually performing market research on attack methodology and using customer engagement of recognised attacks to form reports of how the product has been simulated. We also perform internal and external adversarial analyses on our products to assess strength against the attack vectors.
As a market leader, we partner with customs departments on security features in the ID/ tax stamp space to gain insight into what is experienced and witnessed, providing crucial insight into the requirements for overt and covert technologies.
We layer secure technologies to safeguard the supply chain, as well as utilise IP and methods to produce market-leading features and constructions. We also provide true physical-to-digital convergence to secure a digital twin to the physical product.
To ensure we help our partners provide trusted goods and services, we also stay close to security International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) standards around the globe.
Finally, we are members of organisations such as the Anti-Counterfeit Group and the International AntiCounterfeit Coalition. In addition, we network and attend events, feature in panels, and give presentations to share knowledge and offer training.
In what specific ways do De La Rue’s authentication solutions help curb counterfeit activity?
De La Rue partners with governments and brands to provide a range of digital and physical solutions, which help curb counterfeiting by deterring attacks from taking place and enabling quick action via monitoring and detection to directly remove fake goods from circulation.
We also make it easy for consumers to identify genuine products, reducing the opportunity to unknowingly purchase fake goods.
Which industries have benefited most from De La Rue’s solutions?
De La Rue has helped organisations from a range of different industries, from commercial to governmental. Here are just a few we have continuously delivered trusted solutions for:
- Consumer electronics
- Wines and spirits
- Consumer goods
- Pharmaceutical
- Tobacco and ID documents
Are there any other case studies you can share that demonstrate the impact of brand protection services?
There are a few examples linked below, but due to the security requirements of a lot of our clients, case studies can be challenging to come by. What I can share from working with some global firms as their supplier is we obtain long-term relationships as they obtain the benefits of the programmes of work and the expertise of the team to continually recognise the moments in technology and solutions to meet their needs.
Ultimately, we are heading into the third decade of working with some of our clients, proving the ongoing value of the expertise and solutions we provide.
Australian Passport case study
How have De La Rue’s authentication solutions changed to fit demand?
The world of authentication is continually evolving to meet the market and customers’ requirements. Just some of the areas in which we have adapted our solutions include construction, adhesives, lighting variation, layering, full-label voiding, and tamper evidence. Even areas such as sizing requirements have gotten smaller over the years.
In addition, we have modified and switched technologies due to the availability of older technologies and access to reconditioned assets. This forces the hand of the counterfeiter to have to continually invest, something they don’t normally wish to do.
We partner with third-party technology suppliers to bring new digital technologies to match our partners’ physical needs. Working with smaller startups provides new insight into alternative innovative ideas and stops global domination of one technology which may be the revenue dream. However, while we stay true in wanting to stop and prevent counterfeiting, criminals prey on vulnerable markets, with, on some occasions, the worst possible outcomes, and the money made only further feeds crime.
How is De La Rue helping its clients to raise public awareness of counterfeit activity?
After a long time in the industry, we have seen a broad range of techniques, tactics, and messaging that we can share to help clients drive awareness. We offer these assets and best practices so that they are armed with the best ways to educate and inform their audiences and customers.
Can you explain a bit about the process of identifying potentially counterfeit goods?
Identifying counterfeit activity generally comes from our customers' feedback. This includes when revenue has dropped and when track and trace has found duplicates.
At the point at which we can access the items, we generally start with the overt checks of the level 1 technologies. We then work through all of the security layers of covert, machine-readable, and digital readings to gather as much data as we can. The reason we layer numerous technologies together is to allow us to track where these may come from and the methods of creation. This means we can adapt and then protect against this, so the next agile iterate features counter it.
As we know, the holy grail is to find a perfect non-attack solution, but the counterfeiters tend to find a way. We just adapt, move on, and detract them from further investment when we relaunch.
More often than not, simply having a brand protection solution is enough to deter attacks, as counterfeiters look for the most vulnerable unsecured products to attack.
What signs should brands look out for when they suspect counterfeiting activity?
Unfortunately, a downturn in sales is often the first sign a brand will experience when their product comes under counterfeit attack. Fake products flood a market or territory, and the brand is left wondering why sales have taken a battering. We have also had customers who suddenly start to see rising numbers of warranty returns, and they find on inspection the product being returned is not even genuine. In the most drastic cases, when safety or human health is affected, it’s a knock at the door from law enforcement or trading standards officers.
What advice would you give businesses who are experiencing counterfeiting challenges?
The first step is to get advice from an experienced partner that has a really good depth and breadth of experience - even better if they have had customers in a similar industry or territory as it will help you evaluate the risks and start building the right protection strategy for your situation. With them, share your problems and requirements, and let them provide the right trusted messaging to your consumers. On many occasions, each solution is slightly bespoke.
Here at De La Rue, we can be that partner. We provide animations and how-to-tell messages and benefits with all of our products.
Find out more about the broad range of Innovative authentication solutions from De La Rue here
