Protecting products from counterfeiting - banknote security technology comes to the fore
By Peter Lowe, Assistant Director, ICC Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau
London, 2 April 1998 - Historically there is probably no other industry group that has greater experience of tackling counterfeiting than banknote printers. Ever since the creation of the first paper money in China about one thousand three hundred years ago, counterfeiters have sought to compromise them. Indeed they fully expected attempts to counterfeit their product and created features to make this as difficult as possible. Some of the early notes were made from the bark of Mulberry trees and complex manufacturing processes were soon developed which included multiple colourings, complex designs and fibres in the paper.
Over time and with the introduction of the cylinder mould machine, a whole array of security features have been incorporated into and on to security papers to defeat would be counterfeiters. These include complex watermarks and threads, iridescent planchettes, microtext and currency markers. The applic
ation of these technologies has until recently been largely focussed on currency, and other valuable documents including cheques, stock certificates, passports and vouchers.
Product protection is now though firmly in the sights of security printers and paper manufacturers with the recent announcement by De La Rue that it is launching a separate brand division charged solely with the production of hi tech anticounterfeiting methods to protect company brands. The division will market the company's holograms, security paper and optical devices including its new Security Authentication Integrated Label (SAIL) as featured in our December (12/97) confidential bulletin. Target markets are industries vulnerable to counterfeiting including distilling, pharmaceuticals, software, music and videos
As the world's largest security printer De La Rue's concerted move into product protection is being keenly watched by others in the same field. All are anxious to seek out potentially high growth areas and offset falling margins in banknote printing.
De La Rue's own subsidiary Portals have also teamed up with Tinsley Robor security printers and adhesives specialist and converter Tagsa, to offer the Portals Protact security label. The Protact label which was promoted at a recent Seminar in London contains three dimensional multi-tonal watermarks. Security can be further enhanced with an array of security threads, covert taggants and fluorescent features.
Banknote security technology whilst relatively new to the product authentication market is already evident. Certificates of Authenticity used by Microsoft and others as a product authentication device are examples of what can be done and much more will undoubtedly follow.
Brand owners can only benefit from the long experience and technology that has been built up by an industry that has spent hundreds of years fighting counterfeiters.
ICC Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau