GOA Educates Attendees on Counterfeiting Protection
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.—Graphics of the Americas (GOA) is becoming an important annual meeting venue for brand owners and printers looking for anti-counterfeiting technologies and techniques, says GOA President George Ryan.
Attendees of the second annual Brand Protection Conference, held this past Feb. 26-27 in Miami Beach during the Graphics of the Americas Exhibition, heard 21 different organizations present time-tested, proven technologies and risk management programs that successfully battle counterfeit and knockoff attempts by criminals, terrorist and fraudsters.
According to Richard Warner, conference chair, in addition to these aforementioned counterfeit deterrent technologies and risk management protocols, the following six companies unveiled new and innovative security technologies that look promising in assisting in the ongoing battle against counterfeit, forgery and knockoff attempts:
1. Peter Gabriele, technical director, Rmark Authentication Technologies, LLC, gave a presentation on Rmark® covert micro-tag markers, 90 to 150 microns by 10 to 20 microns thick and containing alphanumeric text, hieratic and geometric symbols and composition indicia. As the Rmark micro taggants are composed of food grade materials, their applications are apparent and prominent as counterfeit and knockoff deterrents for pharmaceuticals, OTC health and beauty aids and human consumables. E-mail: pgabriele@rmark.org
2. Dr. Michael Natan, CEO, Oxonica Materials Inc., disclosed a new covert/forensic micro-tag technology, Sol-ID™ nano-particles, a process that works by near-IR molecular excitation and subsequent Raman shift fingerprinted IR spectrum identification. The products to be protected are packaged and labeled with inks containing unique Sol-ID™ nano-particles (60 nanometer dimensions) and excitation/radiation fingerprinted IR spectrums. Detection of these covert/forensic particles is accomplished with proprietary handheld, desktop or high-speed readers. The company says that the Sol-ID™ nano-tag technology provides for a very effective covert/forensic deterrent to counterfeit/knockoff brand products and consumer goods. E-mail: michael.natan@oxonica.com
3. Co-founder of Opalux Inc., Dr. Andre C. Arsenault, presented what the company says is a new and unique approach to photonic crystal security imaging applications, using Opalux's core technology products, P-Ink™ and Elastink™. These Opalux inks contain nanometer-size opal crystals that can be tuned to refract visible light into selected wavelengths of desired colors. The P-Ink and Elastink can change color, reversibly or irreversibly, by being activated electronically, mechanically or thermally; thus acting, the company says, as excellent counterfeit and knockoff deterrents for security packages, labels and documents. E-mail: andre.arsenault@opalux.com
4. Susie Stitzel, EskoArtwork, offered a presentation and live demonstration of EskoArtwork’s hardware/software 3-D packaging capabilities. The demonstration not only showed how efficiently the company’s color artwork station can handle utilitarian requirements for packaging design and 3-D color proofing, but also how well it could incorporate overt/covert security printing technologies into the desired security end products. E-mail: susie.stitzel@esko.com
5. Gary St. Onge, vice president of sales and marketing for Security Printing Systems Inc., described the financial losses brand owners incur on their consumer cash incentive programs from counterfeit coupon attacks. St. Onge showed what is called a new and unique, cost effective "False Positive" test target that uses a special daylight-invisible coating and a commercially available counterfeit detection pen to detect counterfeit coupons, even when they are printed on paper that mimics security substrates. E-mail: garysaint@comcast.net
6. Andrew McTaggart, founder of AdlerTech International Inc., and Dr. Peter Basch, MD, FACP, MedStar health, described the recent CMS ePrescribed mandates for digital Rx prescription pads. McTaggert gave a live demonstration of the new, patented Arcis Digital Security Inc. digital void pantograph and discussed its compliance status with the new CMS ePrescribed regulations. E-mail: mail@adlertech.com
Several other security printing technologies, materials, devices and digital solutions to mitigate counterfeit and knockoff attempts were discussed during the Brand Protection Conference and can be viewed on the Brand Protection Conference website at www.bpc-security.com.
Next year, the Brand Protection Conference is scheduled to take place at Graphics of the Americas 2010, being held February 25-27 in Miami Beach.
For more information visit www.GOA2010.com.
