Printed electronics specialist Thin Film Electronics has received its first order, from a “global consumer packaged goods company”, for the use of its Thinfilm Memory for brand protection – a trademarked system of specialised electronic labels designed to thwart counterfeiting.
According the Oslo Norway-headquartered company, Thinfilm Memory labels – which can be applied to any product in the same way as a conventional label – have an electronic signature that is “virtually impossible” to replicate.
In addition, the signal can be deliberately and predictably modified to create a signature unique to a product line or manufacturer.
The brand protection system includes custom-designed memory labels and a handheld reader that tests the product label and verifies its authenticity, while the labels themselves are described as “extremely robust”, and able to withstand “abusive handling and harsh environmental conditions”.
“The largest companies in the world lose billions of dollars each year to illegally copied merchandise,” says Davor Sutija, Thinfilm’s CEO.
“Product labels are easy to duplicate, and even authorised retailers may be unable to recognise counterfeit products.”
“Thinfilm’s ultra low-cost electronic memory provides distributors and retailers a powerful way to detect fake products,” he adds. With product development based in Linköping, Sweden, Thin Film Electronics has sales offices in San Francisco, USA, and Tokyo, Japan, as well as manufacturing in Pyongtaek, South Korea.
