The Most Counterfeited Products in the World

The tobacco and spirits industries invest heavily in marketing their branded products, and brand owners deserve to profit from the resulting sales. In addition, brand owners have the duty to ensure that any product sold under their brand name is authentic and pure, to protect their reputation, their commitment to quality and the public’s safety.

These goals are undermined by several forms of counterfeiting and diversion:

• Counterfeit products are unregulated and often substandard, which threatens public health as well as the business reputation of the brand owner.
• Diversion, or the sale of authentic products through unauthorized outlets, deprives brand owners of their rightful profits.
• Third shift piracy, or packaging of the branded product under a rogue label, is another popular form of theft practiced by unscrupulous subcontractors.

The huge revenues generated by these tactics have attracted international organized crime, making tobacco and spirits the most counterfeited products in the world.

One reason for counterfeiter success is that brand protection, tamper protection, product authentication and supply-chain tracking are inadequate.

Inksure's cutting-edge covert taggant technology has over a decade of proven success in tagging billions of tobacco and beverage products, resulting in worldwide product authentication, as well as track and trace capabilities through the entire chain.

The Inksure Advantage: Taggant Technology

1. The Inksure brand-tagging system can be printed on all packaging materials, including polymer, paper, glass and more.
2. The Inksure product authentication process eliminates the need to break the package seal for product inspection.
3. Inksure readers instantly identify taggants printed on flat packages or curved bottle surfaces.
4. Inksure taggants are robust and durable, providing forensic-level evidence even if the package is damaged or destroyed.
5. Integration of Inksure's trace and trace capability ensures controlled monitoring of valid products from the production line to the consumer, preventing third-shift piracy.

The Inksure Track Record

After a leading US-based brand owner integrated Inksure taggant technology, the company was able to identify third-shift piracy operated by a trusted long-time subcontractor. The recovery of lost revenues was valued at several million dollars.

Inksure specialists stand ready to advise you on the integration of taggant technology into your product line for global product protection, tamper protection, and supply-chain control.