You've registered trademarks, copyrights and patents for ages. Maybe you've even brought some infringers to court. So, why start doing this new thing, Product Authentication, you may ask.
The answer is quite simple: Because it's the first proactive, preventative method against counterfeiters.
Registering Trademarks is Like Getting Home Insurance
Most of us have insurance on our homes, right? We pay money in advance, hoping that the insurance company will reimburse us for the cost of stolen goods and damages if somebody breaks in. It does nothing to prevent burglars from burglary. It's only compensation for lost value or - more probably - for a portion of the value lost.
When bringing counterfeiters to court, you will need experts witnesses to prove which is fake and which is genuine as well as that the resemblance to the original is so high that they have indeed tried to make a copy. That it's not a legitimate product that just happens to look very similar to yours.
Using Product Authentication is Like Getting a Better Lock and a Burglar Alarm
Product Authentication raises the threshold drastically for counterfeiters.
It makes detection of counterfeits much easier to do
It makes detection of counterfeits much faster
Therefore, counterfeit products get taken off the market much faster
...and their time to negatively impact your sales and brand value is therefore much shorter
Which adds up to it becoming much less tempting to copy your products compared to those of your competition who still rely on only trademarks for protection
It also makes the court case much more clear cut in your favour, in case they try anyway
Just like better locks and burglar alarms, Product Authentication doesn't stop crooks from trying, but it discourages them and increases the chance of them moving on to the next house instead. And, as you still need the courts to carry out justice, you still need to register your immaterial properties through trademarks, copyright, patents and the like - but with product authentication, the outcome of the court case is more certain and faster.
Who Does the Authentication of Products?
So far, there's no method for Product Authentication available for use by the general public. There are a couple of reasons for that:
Some methods for Product Authentication require special equipment for authentication, making it impossible for use by anybody
Other methods for Product Authentication, like isAuthentic, only require a smartphone with the right app. Still, general use of such authentication apps would require general use by producers of the same authentication method. Imagine the disappointment of consumers finding out that they only can authenticate some brands and not others.
Or, they would need one app for each brand, making authentication unmanageable for them.
Until the day that all manufacturers install isAuthentic, authentication in the field will rely on people like sales reps, service engineers, authorised retailers or other representatives and, in some countries, authorised inspectors. (A method already in used in China, but using more crude methods of authentication)
The Method of Product Authentication Makes Authentication Operations More or Less Easy
As we mentioned in the previous paragraph, other methods of Product Authentication require special equipment, controlled environment or trained staff for authentication, all of which limits the scope of your authentication operations.
That is one of the reasons why we at Blue Cromos have decided to focus on making Product Authentication Easy. All that is needed is a smartphone, a dedicated app and conditions good enough for a selfie. No special lighting, no crates to control distance or keep camera and product still. Except for our method for authenticating prestige items where we use the actual surface of items for authentication (Method 3). But those items are of such value that it's worth the hassle.
As Product Authentication in the field is so easy with isAuthentic, getting many feet on the ground and eyes on the market becomes a matter of organisation, not of technical limitations.
The Ease of isAuthentic Isn't Limited to Authentication in the Field
The ease of isAuthentic doesn't stop at the ease of authentication, it starts already in design and production.
As isAuthentic doesn't add anything to the product, there's no interference whatsoever with the design of product or packaging. We use what is already there. Those designers that worked hard and used their artistic skills to make sleek and minimalistic designs won't have to see them ruined by the adding of labels or similar.
Since isAuthentic adds nothing to the product, it adds no complexity to the production process either.
Simple installation, without interfering with tuned and optimised production lines.
No loss of production for installation. isAuthentic can be installed in scheduled breaks.
No added risks during running production or added needs for holding and managing stocks of identification gadgets
Want to discuss Product Authentication with us? Just reach our here. We'd be thrilled to help you protect revenue and brand value.
Image by skynesher on iStock