Counterfeiting is now a major industry estimated to be worth in excess of $100 billion - sales by the legal owners. This situation has been allowed to occur simply as a result of industries reactive/passive approach to the problem. The situation has been further complicated by the: * rapid development, availabilityofsophisticated machinery in the manufacturing technology where products can be replicated easily at a minimal cost * advances in printing technology allowing for undetectable duplication of complex printing systems with photocopy ease and considerable economies. The combination of these two factors has allowed the rapid growth of this illegal activity, creating a substantial income with little or not risk. Legal recourse is generally weak and at best reactive to the existence of the problem after the damage has been done. It would appear that industry has still not found an adequate solution to the problem, with growth in counterfeiting estimated to have increased by 150% in 5 years.

Date Published: 1 April 1990
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 1210, Optical Security and Anticounterfeiting Systems, (1 April 1990); doi: 10.1117/12.17911

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1210:
Optical Security and Anticounterfeiting Systems
William F. Fagan, Editor(s)