Data matrix codes do not offer reliable protection against counterfeits

The EU is currently focusing on the pharmaceuticals industry. In February 2011, the European Parliament passed a new law to protect EU citizens against counterfeit drugs. 2D matrix codes on packaging should make it possible to retrace every single drug - from the manufacturer via the branched-out distribution network down to pharmacies and ultimately to patients. The Turkish government is planning something similar for the food industry. Yet neither measure is sufficient. After all, a printed matrix code, like other widespread technologies on the market (e.g. holograms), does not provide sufficient protection against counterfeiters. In Turkey, the solution recently introduced in the EU failed in the pharmaceuticals industry for precisely this reason.

The means of labeling were copied and reproduced many thousands of times. This is possible in the case of matrix codes or simple holograms without major technical effort. Even online verification does not provide immediate protection; after all, it only checks whether the code entered matches up with the original code and whether it has been entered before.

Counterfeiters can simply scan in the codes from palettes of individual packaging within the supply chain and then reprint them as often as they like. The code first entered by a consumer ultimately decides which code the system indicates as the original – the reprinted code on the counterfeit or the original code on the original product.

The only really effective protection against counterfeits is a combination of unique codes for each individual item and a physical form of evidence integrated into the label. Europe's leading spare parts manufacturers recognized this long ago and joined together to form the initiative “Manufacturers against Product Piracy” (MAPP).

With the MAPP code they have developed their own standard for labeling vehicle spare parts. Numerous brands back it up with the aid of security solutions from tesa scribos – based on physical evidence, a hurdle that counterfeiters have yet to overcome. The MAPP standard makes it possible to trace the product throughout the entire supply chain. At Continental Teves, for instance: The company is one of the world's leading manufacturers in the automotive after-market and protects its international brands using the MAPP code, which is displayed on every product alphanumerically and as a 2D bar code.

Although the MAPP code ensures logically unique component labeling, one weak point of the code system is still the code-bearing label itself. To protect it against manipulation, the label and thus also the packaging are additionally secured by means of physical evidence, the tesa Holospot®.

The tesa Holospot® stores information on a number of different visible and invisible levels. The originality can be checked by all participants in the supply chain ranging from production, via logistics and customs all the way to retailers and end customers: The numbers on the tesa Holospot® correspond to the last four digits of the MAPP code. This ensures that the Holospot® and package belong together. An online verification function provides further assurance of the originality. With tesa® Connect & Check, tesa scribos recently also started offering the option to carry out a multi-step online or text authentication that not only verifies the code but also checks the Holospot's® security features.