A new anticounterfeiting marking system (original) (raw)

2011, Nanotec IT Newsletter 12, 19-21 (2011)

Counterfeiting is a global problem that can have major social and economic consequences. The spread, number and kind of counterfeit goods has greatly increased in recent years: according to the study of Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (CIB) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), counterfeit Goods make up 5 to 7% of World Trade. In a recent update OECD has estimated in $250 billion in 2007 the worldwide value of international trade in counterfeit and pirated goods. As a consequence, there is a urge in developing and adopting innovative anti-counterfeiting technologies able to ensure a real protection and/or traceability of a number of items, including, e.g., forensic documents, dan-gerous waste, strategic components (like microprocessors in automo-tive/aerospace fields, both civilian and military), pharmaceutical products, currency notes, identity/credit/debit cards, quality control, commercial/artistic objects. Our Laboratory in ENEA has recently developed a new method to fight counterfeiting and to trace critical goods, based on our know-how in the fields of optics, laser, plasma and radiation-matter interaction. Our technology allows to vary the protection level in relation to the desired extent by properly increasing the complexity of the marking procedure. On the other side, the specific reading technique is straightforward using a dedicated apparatus.