Plagiarism protection – measures of an all-present danger
Every tenth German company has been a victim of product piracy at least once in the last five years. Particularly affected: The textile industry and mechanical and plant engineering. Around 8 billion euros in damage is caused annually by product piracy in the mechanical and plant engineering sector alone. But the damage goes far beyond financial losses, in some cases posing major security risks.
This is because counterfeit products are popping up everywhere, not only in brick-and-mortar stores, but also in web stores, online marketplaces and even in social networks. Accordingly, the requirements for plagiarism protection are high, with which the authenticity of a product can be quickly proven at any time and low additional costs are incurred. After all, product piracy can only be controlled if reliable verification of the product or individual parts can take place at every point in the supply chain thanks to simple handling. This all-encompassing solution has Tailorlux. With light-sensitive pigments, each material can be uniquely marked and checked for authenticity directly in the field using a hand sensor.
Plagiarism protection – of significant relevance nationally and globally
Plagiarism protection is relevant for all companies – from regional companies to global players. Especially small companies that produce innovative or individual products and do not have a global presence quickly become victims of counterfeiting. After all, there is no additional monitoring of quality products outside Germany here. However, the biggest targets of plagiarists are global players of distinction, for whom counterfeiting entails major damage and loss of image. According to a study by German Business in Cologne, companies that are innovative, large and internationally active are particularly at risk of counterfeiting.
Germany – country where plagiarism originates?
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the origin of counterfeits is China, and the figures for counterfeits confirm this cliché. However, with around 23% of all counterfeits, Germany comes in second place. The difference here clearly lies in the quality of the counterfeits, so that the VDMA also refers to German counterfeits as “high-tech counterfeits”. Not only individual parts are affected, but also entire components, machines or spare parts – and this in a wide variety of industries.
Plagiarism protection in mechanical and plant engineering
“Made in Germany”, recognized worldwide and of particular importance in mechanical and plant engineering. However, it is also an industry that offers a large surface for attack. The globally known company names and their strong-selling products tempt many counterfeiters to plagiarize. The result: millions of euros worth of damage, around 8 billion according to a study by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) – and this is increasing every year. If you break down these sales losses per company, each company suffers a loss of 4.9% of its annual sales. This does not even take into account the consequences of a drop in orders and damage to the company’s image. After all, counterfeiting always means that a customer will turn to another manufacturer next time due to poor quality. When it comes to spare parts and components, there is also a major risk. For example, a counterfeit sealing ring can lead to an accident with far-reaching consequences. This fact makes plagiarism protection in mechanical and plant engineering of such great relevance.
Plagiarism protection in the textile industry
One may first think of counterfeit branded clothing when it comes to plagiarism in the textile industry. But the field is much larger, because counterfeiting in this industry can also endanger the safety of users and consumers. Particularly affected by product piracy are innovative industry-related textile companies, for example manufacturers of geotextiles, special belts or airbag textiles. After all, these are among the technology leaders in their industry, whose products are available on the market worldwide. Security-relevant textiles promise good sales and are therefore of all the greater interest to counterfeiters.
The invisible anti-counterfeiting system from Tailorlux
Tailorlux has developed a plagiarism protection that is easy to integrate and meets the highest security requirements. Our product marking claim is to introduce as little additional material as possible while still ensuring reliable detection. This invisible fingerprint can be introduced directly into the yarn, for example. The fibers or yarn are marked with pigments to create a unique sequence. The marking does not affect the material in any way. Tailorlux’s anti-counterfeiting system also includes high-end sensor technology. The robust handheld devices with monolithic sensors can be easily deployed in the field, allowing companies to take measurements in the field to verify the authenticity of their products. Thanks to their high resolution, the sensors reliably detect signals even where others can only detect background noise.
Across all industries, we will also find the right fingerprint for your products for your individual application – and that as legally compliant plagiarism protection.