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Filtered by Free — 135 articles

Francisco Mandiola

4 Dec. 2024

2 min read

LatAm Tax Authorities Share Updates at ITSA Event

In October, 40 participants turned up for the latest International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) webinar, which was in Spanish only and directed towards tax and customs authorities across Latin America.

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Nicola Sudan

25 Nov. 2024

2 min read

Combating Deepfakes with Watermarking

Earlier this year, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) was warning that deepfakes – ie. video, audio and image content that seem real but are actually manipulated with AI – had been used to try to influence election results

Free Free

Nicola Sudan

5 Nov. 2024

2 min read

New Tax Stamps for Ukraine – Part of Bigger Digitalisation Picture

The global software engineering company ELEKS has been awarded a tender to develop Ukraine’s ‘e-Excise’ tax stamp and traceability programme for tobacco and alcohol products.

Countries Free Free

Chander S Jeena

23 Oct. 2024

3 min read

Crane Acquisitions: Will Micro-Optics Play a Bigger Role in Brand Protection?

Following De La Rue’s announcement, a few months ago, that it was in discussions with several parties interested in acquiring one or both of its business divisions – Authentication and Currency – the company has now entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of its Authentication division to Crane NXT, for £300 million.

Free Free

Nicola Sudan

24 Sept. 2024

6 min read

Illicit Cigarettes Declining in EU but Rising in Europe, Claims KPMG Study

KPMG has released its latest annual study on illicit cigarettes in Europe1, commissioned by Philip Morris Products SA. The study shows that while illicit consumption in the 27 EU member states declined by 0.6 billion sticks in 2023, to reach 35.2 billion, overall illicit consumption in the 38 markets covered by the study rose by 3%, reaching 52.2 billion sticks.

Excise Products Free Illicit Trade Free

Chander S Jeena

22 Sept. 2024

3 min read

Koenig & Bauer Expands Authentication Offering

This article outlines K&B's evolving strategy, recent partnerships and core technologies, all contributing to what the company calls its ‘Authentication Solution Portfolio’ – a portfolio of non-invasive authentication solutions.

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Peter Kostur

16 Sept. 2024

4 min read

The Good and Bad Role of QR Codes in the Counterfeiting World

Post-COVID, everyone, including counterfeiters, learned how to use QR codes more effectively and how powerful and persuasive the online environment can be, including for the repetitive launching of small online outlets with fakes.

Free Free

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

3 min read

The Strength of a ‘Phygital’ Approach

Combining physical and digital elements on tax stamps ensures that the strengths of both are exploited, and the weaknesses of each are covered. The International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) is pleased to announce the launch of a social media campaign examining the topic in depth, featuring quotes from industry insiders and stories from around the world that demonstrate the strength of a ‘phygital’ approach.

Associations Free Free

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2024

5 min read

Global Sustainability News

Marks & Spencer, a leading UK retailer, has teamed up with Polytag, a recycling technology company, to track the journey of its drinks bottles, cartons, and other plastic packaging. Meanwhile, India is grappling with the widespread counterfeiting of extended producer responsibility certificates by plastic waste recyclers.

Free Free

Zbigniew Sagan and Vincent Leyris

26 Aug. 2024

6 min read

How to Protect Citizens Against Fraudulent QR Codes

By 2025, more than 100 million smartphone users in the US will use a QR code scanner on their mobile devices, compared to 70.6 million in 2020. But how can citizens be sure that what they are scanning is legitimate?

Free Free

Francisco Mandiola

28 July 2024

7 min read

ITSA Seminar for Latin American Tax Authorities – A Review

As has thankfully become a bit of a tradition again, post-COVID, ITSA (International Tax Stamp Association) recently held a pre-conference seminar on the occasion of the High Security Printing™ Latin America conference, which this year took place in Santiago, Chile.

Free Track and Trace Free

Raeburn Ward

30 June 2024

4 min read

Fortified Defences: The Power of Combining Physical and Digital Elements in Tax Stamps

In a rapidly evolving excise landscape in which counterfeit goods and tax evasion pose major challenges, the incorporation of both physical and digital elements on tax stamps has emerged as a critical strategy for governments and businesses alike.

Free Free

Chander S Jeena

13 June 2024

2 min read

New Anticounterfeiting Technique Packs Two Light-Reactive Images into One Material

According to a new research report published in the journal Langmuir, scientists have successfully developed a new photopatterning technique that creates two light-reactive images in one material.

Free Free

Nicola Sudan

30 May 2024

3 min read

Diametryx’s Innovative Colour Change Particles

At the Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) conference in April, Michael Natan, President of Diametryx Inc, presented this new company’s intriguing colour-change particles for use as an overt security feature.

Free Technology & Systems Free

Chander S Jeena

20 May 2024

4 min read

Gilead Brand Protection – From Imprinted Pills to Holographic Tamper Seals

A new trend among counterfeiters is to target high-value drugs like HIV antivirals in both the developing and developed world. This problem was highlighted in 2020 and 2021, when Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Gilead warned that counterfeits of several HIV medications had been discovered circulating in the US.

Free Free

Nicola Sudan

29 April 2024

4 min read

Interview with an ITSA Member – Securikett

In our third 2024 interview with a member of the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA), we speak to Marietta Ulrich- Horn, Co-Founder and CEO of Securikett.

Free Interviews Free

25 April 2024

3 min read

EU Recommends Actions to Combat Counterfeiting

The European Commission has adopted a recommendation to combat offline and online counterfeiting and enhance intellectual property rights enforcement.

Free Free

Francisco Mandiola

2 April 2024

5 min read

A Comparison of Fuel Traceability Options

Some years ago, I was asked to give a speech to a Latin American country’s customs authority with respect to fuel marking. To prepare for my presentation, I spoke to several suppliers and did some research with respect to alternatives and positive results around the world.

Excise Products Free Free

Chander S Jeena

28 March 2024

3 min read

Brand Authentication – The Xiaomi Way

Continuing our series on brand protection programmes implemented by some of the world’s biggest brand owners, this month we turn our attention to the Chinese technology company Xiaomi, one of the youngest companies on the Fortune Global 500 and among the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world.

Free Free

Francisco Mandiola

5 March 2024

3 min read

Spring Cleaning at Chile Tax Authority – Renovated Programme in the Works

In 2023, we analysed how Chile’s cigarette traceability system, SITRAF (Sistema de Trazabilidad Fiscal) had been performing since its inception in 2019. At that time, a study conducted by local economists found that the implementation of the system in Chile had resulted in better control of legitimate sales and increased revenues.

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Latest News

LatAm Tax Authorities Share Updates at ITSA Event

Combating Deepfakes with Watermarking

New Tax Stamps for Ukraine – Part of Bigger Digitalisation Picture

Crane Acquisitions: Will Micro-Optics Play a Bigger Role in Brand Protection?

Illicit Cigarettes Declining in EU but Rising in Europe, Claims KPMG Study

Koenig & Bauer Expands Authentication Offering

The Good and Bad Role of QR Codes in the Counterfeiting World

The Strength of a ‘Phygital’ Approach

Global Sustainability News

How to Protect Citizens Against Fraudulent QR Codes

ITSA Seminar for Latin American Tax Authorities – A Review

Fortified Defences: The Power of Combining Physical and Digital Elements in Tax Stamps

New Anticounterfeiting Technique Packs Two Light-Reactive Images into One Material

Diametryx’s Innovative Colour Change Particles

Gilead Brand Protection – From Imprinted Pills to Holographic Tamper Seals

Interview with an ITSA Member – Securikett

EU Recommends Actions to Combat Counterfeiting

A Comparison of Fuel Traceability Options

Brand Authentication – The Xiaomi Way

Spring Cleaning at Chile Tax Authority – Renovated Programme in the Works

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