Counterfeit goods may often be considered a victimless crime. But in reality, they pose serious threats, both to consumers and brands. So, what can brands do to protect themselves?

Dr Selva Selvaratnam, CEO of OpSec Security says that the value of counterfeit goods is estimated at around $1.9 trillion a year and, as more businesses expand online, this is only going to get worse. Dr Selvaratnam warns: 

“Counterfeiting affects everybody. The consumer is buying goods that are not genuine. Companies are losing revenues. And counterfeit goods can introduce real safety concerns, as they won’t have gone through the correct testing.“

OpSec applies technologies to protect goods from counterfeiting and IP infringement, working with businesses and governments to protect their intellectual property, products, and digital content. Dr Selvaratnam says:

“Our teams develop and combine security materials and digital platforms to help secure products and supply chains. Innovation is always important, but at the scale our customers operate at, it is equally critical that we deliver a practical solution that can be deployed globally.” 

Lisa Arrowsmith, Chief Product Officer at OpSec Security explains what some of these technologies look like: 

“Product authentication brings trust to products, but it also provides a vehicle for consumer engagement and greater supply chain transparency. From the addition of unique codes and identifiers to embedded technologies such as NFC and RFID, OpSec delivers visibility throughout the supply chain, and enables new and intuitive methods of engaging with end customers.”

In the online space, consumers are particularly exposed to counterfeit goods. Arrowsmith says that OpSec addresses this issue as well: 

“We proactively reduce the online sale of counterfeit products, as well as consumer exposure to counterfeit listings, through our online brand protection services. We apply technologies such as AI and machine learning to continuously monitor counterfeit hotspots, from popular online marketplaces to social media. This ensures we are able to takedown counterfeit product listings, using advanced network intelligence technology to target the most persistent and sophisticated of counterfeiters.”

This approach has seen OpSec Security become trusted by some of the world’s biggest brands, spanning sports, consumer, industrial and media verticals. Brett Hansen is Director of IP at Hypertherm, a world leading industrial cutting equipment company with a heavy focus on replacement parts. Hansen says:

“Suddenly an explosion ten years ago found dozens of competitors, mostly out of Asia, copying our replacement parts. As this market grows, we've been pleased with OpSec, delivering us more and more tools that we can combat these and reach a lot of bad actors very quickly with minimal effort on our part.” 

Jim Keller, Global VP of Technology and Operations at OpSec Security, says that authenticity is a critical block in building deeper relationships with customers:

“Consumers continue to value and place trust in leading brands. Those consumers want to know that their money is being spent well on an authentic brand that instills confidence. Not just the certainty it is genuine, but also that it has been produced in accordance with brand standards and is backed by the right levels of support.”

As well as working with the world's leading brands, OpSec also works in high-security and government sectors to assure revenues for regulated products (such as alcohol) and the company also works with leading payments card issuers to build security and consumer recognition into their products.

Dr Selva Selvaratnam says that one of the secrets to the success of OpSec is innovation: 

“We don't innovate for the sake of innovating and adaptability is critical. We apply leading-edge technologies to solve real-world problems. And as we further embrace the possibilities offered by digital technologies, we can help brands achieve their objectives, protect them from vulnerabilities, and help them bring their brands into new environments and opportunities. Adaptability and innovation will maintain us as the first choice for our customers.”