Putting Counterfeiters Out of Business, Part 2

Counterfeiting and pirating of commercial goods is a massive global challenge. As businesses face the threat of counterfeit items, a growing crop of solutions aim to help organizations protect the authenticity and legitimacy of their products. By combining innovations like tracking technology with a proactive approach to piracy, you can stay ahead of potential counterfeiters, all while ensuring your customers stay safe. (You can read part one of this series here.)

Leverage Technology to Track Authenticity at Scale

LocatorX’s newly launched Product Certificate Authority™ (PCA) solution helps to validate and verify the authenticity of products before they’re even purchased. PCA enables companies to enroll and provide the proprietary information necessary within a certified QR code to prove products are legitimate. This technology-enabled, cost-effective approach can help build trust with your own suppliers and customers, ensuring that every item that changes hands is genuine.

Know Where You’re Buying From

Maintain strong supplier partnerships and be especially vigilant based on where your products originate. According to the OECD, the majority of fake goods that are seized in Customs come from mainland China and Hong Kong. Tracking technology can be applied to individual units and boxes with unique certified quick response (CQR) codes, making it nearly impossible for counterfeiters to copy tags and re-use them. This type of technology is especially useful for high-risk markets.

Report it When You See it

If you’re a consumer brand selling your products online or have come across suspicious products in your own online searches, visit STOPfakes.gov for details on identifying potential counterfeiters and reporting them to the proper authorities. Reporting pirated goods can help prompt product recalls, ultimately shielding consumers from inferior or even unsafe items.

Protecting Your Business, Right Now

In an economy filled with would-be counterfeiters, it’s crucial to keep tabs on goods each and every step of the way. Tracking technology enables brands and consumers to access an item’s current location and audit trail from its origin. This provides protection against theft, counterfeiting and product diversion, all while strengthening consumer connections.

By helping consumers select only legitimate products and notifying authorities when counterfeit products crop up, organizations can protect brand reputation and build real — not fake — customer partnerships. Start protecting your business with custom tracking technology.

Steve Maul is the chief revenue officer for LocatorX. LocatorX technology enables brands and consumers to access an item’s current location and audit trail from its origin, protecting against theft, counterfeiting, and product diversion while increasing consumer engagement with manufacturers.