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All Advanced Materials Associations Authentication Brand Protection Case Studies Companies Consumer & Industrial Products Countries Covert & Forensic Security Document Protection Editorials Enforcement & Surveillance Events Excise Products Free Government Illicit Trade Interviews News Overt Security Regulations Reports & Studies Standards Strategies Sustainability Tax & Revenue Tax Stamps Technology & Systems Tenders Track and Trace

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2025

4 min read

Why the UK Still Struggles with Counterfeit Medicines

The UK is home to world-class science, cutting-edge authentication technologies and a regulatory tradition that commands global respect. Yet, counterfeit medicines continue to infiltrate the country’s supply chains. Recent incidents reveal that even a country celebrated as a hub of anticounterfeiting innovation is struggling to keep ahead of the criminals.

Editorials Free Free

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2025

4 min read

Minting Trust: Innovation Securing Precious Metals

In the first half of 2025, while some mints were introducing new developments for enhanced authentication, two major refiners – Argor-Heraeus and ABC Refinery – launched new technologies and product lines to provide verified origin data and support responsible sourcing. This article covers these recent developments.

Consumer & Industrial Products

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2025

2 min read

Warsaw Welcomes Global Tech Leaders to ODDS Conference

The Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) conference, taking place from 15-17 September in Warsaw, Poland, and supported by the International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA), is the key technical forum for physical, digital, and virtual document security. All arrangements are now in place, and attendance is expected to reach capacity for the three-day event.

Events

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2025

3 min read

Embedding Watermarks into Light to Spot Fake Videos

Researchers at Cornell University, New York, have created an innovative method for detecting altered or fabricated videos, which consists of embedding invisible watermarks in the light sources used in the production of genuine videos. They call this new type of watermarking ‘noise-coded illumination’ (NCI).

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2025

2 min read

Decoding Ballot Security: Trump Pushes for Watermarked Paper

In Authentication & Brand News™, March 2024, we reported on the US state of Georgia’s decision to adopt watermarks and reject QR codes on ballot papers. In May 2025, we highlighted Mohave County’s approval to add security features to its ballots for the 2026 midterm elections, in an effort to restore voter trust.

Document Protection

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2025

6 min read

On the Record with Kevin McKenna, CEO of Authentix

Almost one year ago, Authentix completed the acquisition of the authentication operations of the Canadian group Meta Materials, specifically involving Nanotech Security Corp, for circa $10 million.

Free Interviews Free

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2025

2 min read

Spotting Fakes and Spoiled Food: A Two-for-One Offer

Traditionally, the technologies used to catch counterfeit goods and those used to monitor food safety have had little in common. Anticounterfeiting relies on complex visuals – holograms, microtext, or colour-shifting inks – designed to be hard to copy. Food safety, on the other hand, focuses on detecting chemical changes that signal spoilage, like rising acidity or the release of gases.

Consumer & Industrial Products

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2025

2 min read

Vietnam Launches National Product ID and Traceability Programme

Vietnam has developed a government-backed national product identification and traceability solution known as NDATrace (‘NDA’ stands for ‘National Digital Authentication’) to address the increasing issue of counterfeit and substandard goods in the country. The solution aims to combine previously fragmented systems into a single, trusted platform for data verification across government and private sectors.

Track and Trace

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2025

3 min read

Shell Pakistan: Using Phygital Technology and a Movie Icon to Combat Counterfeits

According to estimates, in recent years, Pakistan’s illicit economy – which consists of everything from drugs, consumer goods, tobacco, foreign currency, to oil and lubricants – has thrived, costing over PKR. 2 trillion (about $7 billion) annually to its economy (see also ABN June 2025). Tax evasion related to illicit trade in tea, tyres, automotive lubricants, and pharmaceuticals has grown to c. PKR 160 billion per year. In such a scenario, brand protection becomes more critical than ever. This article covers Shell Pakistan’s strategy to combat this growing fight against fakes.

Brand Protection

Chander S Jeena

31 Aug. 2025

2 min read

New Handheld Sensor Device for Authenticating General Drugs

Researchers from the University of Brighton, UK, have developed a handheld, general-purpose sensor device for verifying the authenticity of medicines quickly, accurately and affordably.

Consumer & Industrial Products

Ian Lancaster

4 Aug. 2025

7 min read

The UK’s Illicit Cigarette Trade

In the June 2025 issue of Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, we reported that KPMG had released its ‘Illicit Cigarette Consumption in Europe’ report for 2024, commissioned by Philip Morris International. Prompted by a later in-depth report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on the illicit cigarette trade in Hull, a port city on England’s North Sea coast, this article examines the situation in the UK as a whole.

Excise Products Illicit Trade

Nicola Sudan

21 July 2025

9 min read

Excise Tax Systems – Breaking Down the Silos

During the April 2025 Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™, Linstrom Marangu, Health Tax Specialist from the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), chaired a panel discussion on the need to integrate excise systems into an overarching tax administration platform.

Free Strategies Free

Sven Bergmann

21 July 2025

5 min read

US Enforcement on Illicit Vapor Finally Gains Steam

In a move that is both welcome and long overdue, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced the seizure of nearly $34 million worth of unauthorized e-cigarettes during a coordinated operation at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport. The scale and scope of this joint action – nearly 1.4 million units of illegal products – signals a critical shift: enforcement against the illicit vapor market is no longer just theoretical.

Illicit Trade Strategies

21 July 2025

4 min read

AI Helps Tanzania Optimise Inspections and Enforcement

According to local press, the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has successfully raised the level of compliance in the market of excisable goods subject to tax stamps, thanks, in large part, to the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Case Studies Strategies

Barna Barabas

21 July 2025

4 min read

Designing Tax Stamps for Analogue or Digital Printing

When designing security features for tax stamps, attention is increasingly being paid to features created by digital printing, since this technology is developing very fast. However, many highly effective tax stamps, in use today, carry features printed with traditional, analogue methods, such as offset and intaglio. So, which is better? Or should both methods be used together for an optimal security solution?

Authentication Technology & Systems

Francisco Mandiola

21 July 2025

6 min read

Cigarette Tax Efficiency: A New Opportunity for Ecuador

In April this year, President Noboa of Ecuador, who has positioned himself and his administration as focused on law and order, was re-elected with over 55% of the popular vote. His stance on fighting corruption and drug- related violence might prove fertile ground for a more efficient fight against other criminal activity such as the rise in contraband cigarettes. Months before the election, a congressional justice committee highlighted the importance of tobacco traceability in a draft bill against illicit trade but, so far, the regulations established in late 2021 remain in force.

Countries Excise Products

Nicola Sudan

21 July 2025

2 min read

Philippines’ Vape Stamps, and Strong Enforcement, Bearing Fruit

According to Tobacco Reporter, the Philippines Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has reported collections of PHP 942 million ($17 million) in excise taxes, on 130 million millilitres of vape products, in the six months since its vape stamp system was introduced (1 June 2024). In 2023, those numbers were only PHP 224 million ($4 million) on 11.2 million millilitres, for the entire year.

Tax Stamps

Chander S Jeena

17 July 2025

2 min read

‘Help! My Code’s Being Copied!’ So, What’s New?

‘I really need help,’ posted a brand owner who used Amazon to ship its products, referring to the serialised ‘Transparency’ QR codes that brands apply to individual product units to verify authenticity and combat counterfeiting.

Illicit Trade

Chander S Jeena

17 July 2025

3 min read

Editorial: Navigating the Murky Waters – The Elusive Market Size of Anticounterfeiting Technologies

At various industry events and meetings, and on diverse platforms, a perennial question surfaces: what is the true market size of anticounterfeiting technologies in the brand protection domain? Despite this editor’s long experience in this sector, the anticounterfeitingw question has consistently presented a significant challenge.

Editorials

Chander S Jeena

17 July 2025

4 min read

News in Brief

In response to the growing threat posed by high-quality counterfeit pharmaceuticals, Alliance Pharmaceuticals has partnered with TrueMed to strengthen its brand protection strategy.

Authentication

Latest News

Why the UK Still Struggles with Counterfeit Medicines

Minting Trust: Innovation Securing Precious Metals

Warsaw Welcomes Global Tech Leaders to ODDS Conference

Embedding Watermarks into Light to Spot Fake Videos

Decoding Ballot Security: Trump Pushes for Watermarked Paper

On the Record with Kevin McKenna, CEO of Authentix

Spotting Fakes and Spoiled Food: A Two-for-One Offer

Vietnam Launches National Product ID and Traceability Programme

Shell Pakistan: Using Phygital Technology and a Movie Icon to Combat Counterfeits

New Handheld Sensor Device for Authenticating General Drugs

The UK’s Illicit Cigarette Trade

Excise Tax Systems – Breaking Down the Silos

US Enforcement on Illicit Vapor Finally Gains Steam

AI Helps Tanzania Optimise Inspections and Enforcement

Designing Tax Stamps for Analogue or Digital Printing

Cigarette Tax Efficiency: A New Opportunity for Ecuador

Philippines’ Vape Stamps, and Strong Enforcement, Bearing Fruit

‘Help! My Code’s Being Copied!’ So, What’s New?

Editorial: Navigating the Murky Waters – The Elusive Market Size of Anticounterfeiting Technologies

News in Brief

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