Fighting Counterfeit Culture with Technology

If you look into it, technology is one of the reasons counterfeit culture prevails. It is the ease of access to inexpensive resources and the ability to hide in plain sight that allow counterfeiters to create products of inferior quality but with features hard to distinguish from that of their authentic counterparts. Because of technology, counterfeiters do not even need to take time to produce imitation items. Fortunately, technology can now be on the side of good again to fight this prevailing consumption of everything fake.

Tamper-proof Provenance

Art dealers are trained to spot counterfeit paintings and other forms of art, especially if they are from a well-known artist. However, they are not foolproof. The more expensive the artwork, the more effort counterfeiters put into the imitation, which means it may look and feel as good as the original item. The theft and resale of precious paintings have often been the problem of insurance companies who cannot find the culprit and who cannot explain to their client that the item they have bought is not an original and would therefore not be worth the real thing.

Fortunately, there is development in technology, particularly in NFC tags online, that will soon put this nightmare to bed. With NFC tags on authentic artwork, buyers can scan and check the provenance of the piece, making the tracking of its past owners a breeze. This establishes the identity of the piece without requiring much effort, and the tag continues to be with the item even as it switches hands, further improving its traceability.

Guaranteed Original Furniture Pieces

There is much artistry associated with furniture creation. From the design to the meticulous assembly, it requires expert hands to give it the best care possible. The finished furniture is exquisite and worth every dime you invest into it–if you are going home with an authentic piece. For brands known for their ornate and pricey pieces, it is a nightmare to see someone complaining about paying a hefty sum for an item that is essentially worthless and for the buyer to be called a thief. They may not be paying the same amount they would pay for the original, but it is still significant considering they are paying for a fake.

Warnings against items sold too cheaply can only go so far. Let’s admit it; everyone wants to score a deal. This makes them vulnerable to counterfeiters, who will stop at nothing to make their products seem more expensive than they really are. Right now, name-brands cannot do anything about imitation, especially if those behind it are hard to track down, but they can protect their products using NFC tags. The tags, when scanned, also provide clients digital proof of the authenticity of their purchase, and it is as much security as they need in this trying time.

It is common to associate price with quality and in many industries, this may be the case. However, those who are willing to pay more to get good quality products should not have to fall victim to a great and enduring evil called counterfeiting.