Status quo and future of anti-counterfeit technologies – the role of colour

Abstract

Globalisation of trade brought with it a much increased level of forgery and counterfeits. Recent surge of counterfeit activity, afforded by rapid advancing digital reprographic technology, has heightened the urgent need for advanced anti-counterfeit technology. One of the essential features of a good anti-counterfeit/brand protection product is its capability against imitation. Thus, any product of which the special feature could be reproduced by any means, i.e. through deciphering of the mechanism thus reproducing the effect or through imitating the effect via a different and cheaper mechanism, would not be suitable for high-end anti-counterfeit/brand protection applications. Unique colour features have been a widely employed anti-counterfeit feature. This talk will provide a review of the status quo of counterfeit activities and anti-counterfeit technologies, and an overview of relevant future development, with a focus on the role of colour and novel colorants.