The MARQUES Anti-Counterfeiting and Parallel Trade Team has published a paper on tracking and tracing technologies used to protect brands.

The paper looks at different types of technologies and their pros and cons.

It covers holograms, watermarks, security inks, chemical taggants, microprinting, QR codes and RFID, GPS, NFC, tamper-evident packaging, secure packaging design, blockchain, DNA marking, machine learning and AI, secure authentication apps, secure labels and seals, authentication tags and barcodes.

The paper looks in depth at two specific solutions, AlpVision Cryptoglyph and Fingerprint and PLASTIWARD in-plastic security. It also considers the use of watermarking in authentication of academic certificates, forgery prevention, copyright protection and data authentication and the recent resurgence in the use of RFID and QR codes as anti-counterfeiting tools by brands such as Moncler, Gucci and HP as well as by the wine industry.

The paper is written by Team members Todd Bontemps, Frank Jørgensen, Carsten Menebröcker, Elena Bojinova Miller, Maria Cecilia Romoleroux, Birgit Wuest and Ray Lei Zhao. It can be downloaded here (MARQUES log-in required).

Picture taken from the paper