Wednesday, November 9, 2011

PRODUCT FAKING: HP OUT WITH MOBILE AUTHENTICATION

HP has announced that original HP ink cartridge and original HP toner cartridge packaging will feature HP’s newest-generation security label where customers can verify the authenticity of the product using HP Mobile Authentication and an internet connected device.

The launch of HP Mobile Authentication is part of HP’s wider global Anti-Counterfeit program (ACF), an industry leading initiative designed to protect customers from fraudulent printing supplies and guard against substandard performance. HP Mobile Authentication helps assure customers at the point of purchase that they’re buying the expected quality and reliability of Original HP supplies.

The announcement is in line with HP’s continued leadership in cloud based innovation. In August 2011, HP first launched Global Authentication Service (GAS), based on HP’s own sophisticated algorithm technology, to fight against global counterfeiting.

This cloud-based track-and-trace solution was originally developed by HP Labs – the company’s central research arm – and the HP Software Professional Services Cloud Services Innovation Center to monitor goods in HP’s supply chain.

HP has, in fact, designed a sophisticated back-end cloud infrastructure that aggregates all the different pieces of information, making authentication and tracking significantly faster, easier, and secure.

“HP has been making great strides to protect customers from mistakenly purchasing counterfeit printing supplies,” said Tina Rose, HP Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) ACF Marketing Program Manager.

“HP Mobile Authentication is one of many measures we have implemented as part of our wider anti-counterfeit initiative, which over the last four years has assisted authorities in the seizure of nearly nine million pieces of fake printing supplies products and components in EMEA.”

The HP Mobile Authentication enables HP customers to authenticate original HP printing supplies in a few simple steps:

  • After checking the security label’s holographic properties to verify authenticity, customers can capture the new security label feature, the Quick Response (QR) code, with any internet connected device that has downloaded a QR code reader, such as a smartphone or tablet.
  • Once the QR code is captured on the user’s device HP Mobile Authentication is accessed and used to validate the label.
  • Valid labels send a confirmation message to the customer’s device, which indicates that the cartridge has a valid code and is in fact a genuine Original HP cartridge.
  • Invalid labels generate a warning message and a link to HP’s Anti-Counterfeit program information website.

In addition to HP Mobile Authentication and other anti-counterfeit measures, HP partners with law enforcement agencies around the world to ensure the disruption of the manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit products. Through these partnerships, HP has conducted nearly 5,000 investigations in almost 90 countries over the last four years.

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