New Issue: The May 2026 TSAN Newsletter is now available. View flipbook →

Latest News

1,100 articles online

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

Filtered by Editorials — 28 articles

Nicola Sudan

20 April 2026

3 min read

Editorial: From Fragmentation to Frameworks – Authentication Grows Up

For years, product authentication has essentially been treated as a brand problem.

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

22 Dec. 2025

5 min read

2025 – A Year in Review

2025 was the year when Tax Stamp & Traceability News™ merged with Authentication & Brand News™ to form what is now Tax Stamp & Authentication News™ (TSAN). This merge reflects the reality of today’s markets and technologies, where government revenue recovery systems are embracing more products and functions, and brand protection programmes are seeking solutions that also allow them to comply with government regulations.

Editorials Free Free

Nicola Sudan

22 Dec. 2025

5 min read

2025 – A Year in Headlines

India moves forward with track and trace on cigarettes; ITSA selected as liaison organisation to EU standards body; two independent studies reveal smokers in Uruguay prefer illicit cigarettes; predicting trends that will define stamps and traceability in 2025; Smurfit Kappa secures Irish tobacco stamp contract; Belarus’ role in illicit trade under scrutiny; Giesecke+Devrient launches smart label for supply chain tracking; understanding unclonable patterns; China integrates drug traceability codes with medical insurance data; real authentication labels on fake vapour products; balancing traceability and authentication – challenges for governments and manufacturers; notorious markets report highlights growth in counterfeit drugs from online pharmacies.

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

30 Oct. 2025

3 min read

Welcome to TSAN!

Welcome to your first issue of Tax Stamp & Authentication News™ (TSAN). This 12-page monthly newsletter merges Reconnaissance’s previous newsletters Authentication & Brand News™ and Tax Stamp & Traceability News™ into a single publication that reflects the convergence of markets, technologies, and policies related to revenue mobilisation, brand protection and product traceability.

Editorials Free Free

Chander S Jeena

30 Sept. 2025

4 min read

From Authentication News to Tax Stamp & Authentication News – A Continuing Journey

After three decades as a leading source of information for the authentication industry, Authentication & Brand News™ (ABN) is entering a new chapter. Starting in October 2025, ABN will merge with its sister publication, Tax Stamp & Traceability News™ (TSTN), to form a single, expanded publication: Tax Stamp & Authentication News™ (TSAN).

Editorials

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

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

5 May 2025

4 min read

On-Dose Authentication: Closing the Last Gap in Pharmaceutical Security

While pharmaceutical packaging safeguards, such as barcodes, QR codes, and serialization, are now standard requirements under regulations like the EU Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) and US Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), these measures have proven ineffective in preventing counterfeiting, if used alone.

Editorials

Ian Lancaster

25 Feb. 2025

5 min read

Authentication or Otherwise? Commemorative Column by Ian Lancaster

Anti-Counterfeiting News, Product Protection News, Brand Protection News… these were some of the titles that we dreamed up when we decided to launch Reconnaissance’s second newsletter, as our first, Holography News®, was increasingly reporting the security uses of holograms.

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

3 Feb. 2025

3 min read

Predicting Trends That Will Define Stamps and Traceability in 2025

As we enter the new year, the question on our readers’ minds is: what are the significant developments that will shape the industry over the coming 12 months? We asked members of the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) to share their perspectives on what could define the year ahead, with predictions covering technological innovations, market expansions and evolving sustainability priorities.

Editorials

Get the TSAN Weekly News delivered free to your inbox.

Chander S Jeena

21 Jan. 2025

2 min read

A Giant of Anti-Counterfeiting: John Anderson, 1950-2025

John Anderson, Chairman of the Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group until last year, died in early January after a difficult illness.

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

17 Dec. 2024

4 min read

2024 – A Year in Headlines

Interviews with International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) members in 2023 – common threads and differences; implementing Lebanon’s tobacco authentication and traceability solution. Some of the year's headlines.

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

5 Nov. 2024

10 min read

15 Years and Counting – Part 4

It was 15 years ago, in July 2009, that the very first Tax Stamp News™ (now called Tax Stamp & Traceability News™) was published. To mark the occasion, we thought it would be interesting to go back in time, to the main news items covered by the newsletter between 2009 and today, and how they have developed over this period.

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

11 Sept. 2024

11 min read

15 Years and Counting – Part 3

To mark 15 years since the first Tax Stamp News™ was published, Tax Stamp & Traceability News™ is going back in time to the main news items covered by the newsletter between 2009 and today, looking at how they have developed over this period.

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

12 min read

15 Years and Counting – Part 2

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

18 Dec. 2023

3 min read

2023 – A Year in Review

Looking back over the year that was, three key developments stand out from the rest, as captured in this article.

Editorials Free Free

Nicola Sudan

18 Dec. 2023

4 min read

2023 – A Year in Headlines

Tax stamp and traceability developments in Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela; Kenya Revenue Authority seeks tax stamp price increase in bid to grow revenue collection;

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

13 Dec. 2023

4 min read

2023 – A Year in Headlines

T-shirts, stamps and gold – the new world of authentication; stand- out developments in 2022 and beyond; authenticating everything from fuel to banknotes.

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

23 Dec. 2022

7 min read

2022 – A Year in Review

Looking back over the year that was, a few key developments spring to mind including: new programmes, illicit tobacco soaring, emerging technologies, the ISO tax stamp standard coming of age, and a ground-breaking study spotlighting track and trace breakeven cost.

Editorials Free Free

Francis Tuffy

29 May 2022

4 min read

Lawyer Up and Head for the Metaverse

Without being able to hold or look at a physical object, or even capture the URL of a webpage, the challenges facing trademark infringement and brand protection are different to authentication in the real world (ITRW).

Editorials

Latest News

Editorial: From Fragmentation to Frameworks – Authentication Grows Up

2025 – A Year in Review

2025 – A Year in Headlines

Welcome to TSAN!

From Authentication News to Tax Stamp & Authentication News – A Continuing Journey

Why the UK Still Struggles with Counterfeit Medicines

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

On-Dose Authentication: Closing the Last Gap in Pharmaceutical Security

Authentication or Otherwise? Commemorative Column by Ian Lancaster

Predicting Trends That Will Define Stamps and Traceability in 2025

A Giant of Anti-Counterfeiting: John Anderson, 1950-2025

2024 – A Year in Headlines

15 Years and Counting – Part 4

15 Years and Counting – Part 3

15 Years and Counting – Part 2

2023 – A Year in Review

2023 – A Year in Headlines

2023 – A Year in Headlines

2022 – A Year in Review

Lawyer Up and Head for the Metaverse

Sign Up to Tax Stamp & Authentication News™ Weekly

You're signed up!