Title: Research and confirmation of an anti-counterfeiting approach for product authentication based on documentation enhancement

Authors: Michael Abramovici; Andreas Krebs

Addresses: Information Technology in Mechanical Engineering, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, 44801, Germany ' Information Technology in Mechanical Engineering, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, 44801, Germany

Abstract: Product forgery has become a significant problem in almost any business sector. A way to avoid unintentional purchase or use of counterfeit goods can be provided through product authentication. This paper features a short review of the literature on product authentication and an analysis of known weaknesses. The paper presents a versatile approach without these shortcomings, which facilitates product authentication based on product-related data. To provide product-related data, the approach uses a new method for product documentation enhancement. The approach further includes a design and testing method for product documentation enhancement, which is integrated into product development. To facilitate product authentication, mainly through widely available means, the approach uses mobile devices such as tablet PCs or smartphones with embedded cameras, and enables customers or users to authenticate goods. A validation of the approach is given by three successful case studies.

Keywords: anti-counterfeiting; barcodes; marking technologies; mobile devices; product forgery; product authentication; product documentation; qr code; radio frequency identification; RFID; near field communication; NFC; counterfeiting; documentation enhancement; product development; tablet PCs; smartphones.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2014.060935

Journal of Design Research, 2014 Vol.12 No.1/2, pp.78 - 96

Published online: 26 Jul 2014 *

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