We in the anti-counterfeiting industry sometimes complain (maybe more than sometimes) that brand owners try to pretend that they don't have brand protection problems.  We accuse brand owners of some pretty harsh things, including lying to the public about the dangers of counterfeit and not taking any action to control the problem.

On the flip side, credit should be given where credit is due. One brand owner, Johnson& Johnson, is not only taking anti-counterfeiting measures but is actually publicizing their anti-counterfeiting measures on their website. This is not surprising coming from JNJ given their history of being honest with the public about the company's security challenges.

Other brand owners can learn a lot from Johnson & Johnson about how to communicate security challenges with customers. We suggest studying up now because we think there is about to be a major turning point in customer demand for brand protection technologies.  

The public is starting to realize that counterfeiting is a widespread problem. The public is getting more information about the breadth and depth of counterfeiting than ever before and realizes that counterfeiting that is not a victimless crime. The public is also starting to realize that they can be the victim.  60 Minutes ran a story about counterfeit medication earlier this year and other mainstream media has done a fair bit of reporting about the issue as well.  

At some point your brand or your industry is going to be held accountable for keeping the public safe from counterfeits. You can either be proactive like JNJ, or be on the defensive.

Do you know of a brand that publicizes its anti-counterfeiting efforts? Write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and tell us about it. We will include the company in a follow up post highlighting brands that publicize their anti-counterfeiting efforts.