News | Tax Stamp & Authentication News™

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

3 min read

Nigeria Customs Partners with NIVEA to Combat Counterfeits – But is It Worth It?

Beiersdorf Nigeria, makers of NIVEA products, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to strengthen efforts against the import and circulation of counterfeit NIVEA and other products in the country.

Brand Protection Enforcement & Surveillance

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

2 min read

The Limited Legal Weight of Brand Protection Labels

A recent decision of the Intellectual Property and Commercial Court in Taiwan demonstrates that the absence of an anticounterfeiting label on a product may not, on its own, prove that the seller of the product ‘knew’ it was fake.

Brand Protection Enforcement & Surveillance

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

1 min read

Repurposing Standard Hospital Analysers into Anticounterfeiting Tools

A research team led by the University of Oxford, with participation from University of East London researcher Dr Hamid Merchant, has demonstrated that standard hospital chemistry analysers can accurately distinguish genuine liquid medicines from falsified versions.

Authentication

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

2 min read

ODDS 2027 Call for Papers: Advancing Research in Next-Generation Security

The organisers of the Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) conference have announced a call for papers for ODDS 2027, inviting researchers, technologists, and practitioners to submit original work on document and identity system security.

Events

Nicola Sudan

3 March 2026

2 min read

ITSA Takes Aim at Fake Tax Stamps Sold Online

In today’s hyper-connected global marketplace, fake tax stamps have become easily accessible commodities on internet platforms, particularly in regions where enforcement is weak and cross-border e-commerce flourishes.

Associations Enforcement & Surveillance

Nicola Sudan

24 Feb. 2026

3 min read

AI No longer Just an Option for Brand Protection

A blog article by IP lawyer and brand expert Relani Belous, titled ‘AI is the New Frontline for Brand Protection’, examines how artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the ‘weapon of choice’ for both sides in the brand protection conflict: brand owners and counterfeiters.

Brand Protection Strategies

Nicola Sudan

24 Feb. 2026

3 min read

The Limited Legal Weight of Brand Protection Labels

A recent decision of the Intellectual Property and Commercial Court in Taiwan demonstrates that the absence of an anticounterfeiting label on a product may not, on its own, prove that the seller of the product ‘knew’ it was fake.

Brand Protection Free Strategies Free

Nicola Sudan

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

Spectra Systems-SICPA Consortium Wins Bid for UK Vape Stamps

Spectra Systems Corp has announced that its security printing arm, Cartor Security Printers (CSP), is the winning bidder for an HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) contract to produce and supply vaping duty stamps. The CSP bid was submitted in consortium with SICPA.

Companies Countries Tax Stamps

Chander S Jeena

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

Nanosilikhan Partners with TPI to Elevate Tax Stamp Security in India

Nanosilikhan Advanced Materials (formerly Nanobrick), a South Korean company specialising in nanoscale technologies with sophisticated overt and covert features, has entered into an exclusive partnership with Track Pack Innovation (TPI), a provider of eco-friendly, tamper-evident alcohol stamps to several Indian states.

Advanced Materials Companies Countries

Chander S Jeena

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

Australia’s Postal Service Uses AI Tool to Tackle Fake Stamps

Australia Post has launched a new AI counterfeit detection tool to address the problem of fraudulent postage products sold online.

Countries Technology & Systems

Nicola Sudan

2 Feb. 2026

4 min read

News in Brief

Thomas Just Sørensen, a chemist at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, has developed the O-KEY® technology – a kind of digital fingerprint for physical products.

Advanced Materials Brand Protection Companies

Sven Bergmann

2 Feb. 2026

7 min read

The Global Rise of Fake GLP-1 Medicines

Glucagon-like peptide-1 medicines, commonly referred to as GLP-1 medicines, represent one of the most consequential pharmaceutical breakthroughs of the past decade, initially transforming the treatment of Type 2 diabetes before rapidly demonstrating profound secondary benefits in weight loss, cardiovascular risk reduction, and broader metabolic health.

Consumer & Industrial Products Illicit Trade

Nicola Sudan

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

Digital Watermarking Eliminates Gift Card Fraud

Digimarc has announced the results of the first implementation of its invisible digital watermarking solution on gift cards, designed to combat persistent card fraud within the US retail sector.

Authentication Companies

Chander S Jeena

2 Feb. 2026

5 min read

India, Cigarettes and Alcohol: One Country, Two Excise Philosophies

India’s recent excise tax overhaul marks a renewed tightening of tobacco excise control. Duty structures on cigarettes have been revised, compliance obligations at manufacturing sites strengthened, and enforcement powers sharpened. But nowhere in this new framework is there a requirement to apply tax stamps to individual cigarette packs. This strategy contrasts starkly with the country’s state-level alcohol control systems, which rely heavily on physical tax stamps.

Countries Events Free Free

Chander S Jeena

2 Feb. 2026

3 min read

Hong Kong Customs Reports Successful Trial of Tax Stamps

In the February 2025 issue of Tax Stamp & Authentication News™, we reported on Hong Kong Customs’ launch of a three-month pilot scheme under its new tobacco duty stamp system. The initiative introduced trial stamps on duty-paid cigarette packs to curb illicit trade and strengthen tax compliance.

Countries Tax Stamps

Nicola Sudan

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

Egyptian Security Printer First in Region to Earn Dual Intergraf Certification

Egypt’s National Company for Advanced Industries and Integrated Strategic Printing Solutions (NASPS), a state-owned entity producing secure government documents, tax stamps, and ID documents, has been awarded two international certifications from Intergraf.

Companies Standards

Chander S Jeena

2 Feb. 2026

3 min read

From Motors to Medicines: Malaysia’s Model for National Authentication

In October 2025, Malaysia fully implemented mandatory certification and labelling for engine oils as part of a national effort to combat the growing problem of counterfeit lubricants in the market. Before that, in 2005, Malaysia launched one of the world’s earliest nationwide pharmaceutical anticounterfeiting programmes, demonstrating the country’s longstanding recognition of the value of national authentication and supply chain control schemes.

Authentication Consumer & Industrial Products Countries

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

AkzoNobel Intensifies Efforts to Combat Counterfeit Paint

With the Vietnamese market receiving numerous reports from consumers suffering significant losses from using counterfeit paint, AkzoNobel, the producers of Dulux and Maxilite paint, has officially reaffirmed its commitment to product quality and announced support activities to help customers identify genuine products.

Brand Protection

Nicola Sudan

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

India Plans National ID System for Batteries

India is moving toward unit-level traceability for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways proposing a Battery Pack Aadhaar Number (BPAN) similar to the ID number assigned to Indian citizens under the Aadhaar scheme.

Consumer & Industrial Products Countries Government

Nicola Sudan

2 Feb. 2026

3 min read

Creating QR Codes from Living Bacteria

Using living bacteria to store information is not a new idea. For years, researchers have experimented with bacterial patterns, fluorescent microbes and bio-based codes. But despite the intrigue, these approaches have remained laboratory curiosities, largely unsuited to real-world security or authentication.

Advanced Materials

Latest News

Nigeria Customs Partners with NIVEA to Combat Counterfeits – But is It Worth It?

The Limited Legal Weight of Brand Protection Labels

Repurposing Standard Hospital Analysers into Anticounterfeiting Tools

ODDS 2027 Call for Papers: Advancing Research in Next-Generation Security

ITSA Takes Aim at Fake Tax Stamps Sold Online

AI No longer Just an Option for Brand Protection

The Limited Legal Weight of Brand Protection Labels

Spectra Systems-SICPA Consortium Wins Bid for UK Vape Stamps

Nanosilikhan Partners with TPI to Elevate Tax Stamp Security in India

Australia’s Postal Service Uses AI Tool to Tackle Fake Stamps

News in Brief

The Global Rise of Fake GLP-1 Medicines

Digital Watermarking Eliminates Gift Card Fraud

India, Cigarettes and Alcohol: One Country, Two Excise Philosophies

Hong Kong Customs Reports Successful Trial of Tax Stamps

Egyptian Security Printer First in Region to Earn Dual Intergraf Certification

From Motors to Medicines: Malaysia’s Model for National Authentication

AkzoNobel Intensifies Efforts to Combat Counterfeit Paint

India Plans National ID System for Batteries

Creating QR Codes from Living Bacteria

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