tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/counterfeiting-16285/articlesCounterfeiting – The Conversation2023-03-05T17:20:15Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2006242023-03-05T17:20:15Z2023-03-05T17:20:15ZCanada needs a strategic plan to safeguard consumers against counterfeit and pirated goods<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513290/original/file-20230302-17-u4h5cy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C17%2C2982%2C1980&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Counterfeiting has become a billion-dollar problem for countries all around the world.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Counterfeiting is a chronic problem faced by Canadian consumers. According to Canadian manufacturers
and exporters, counterfeiting — or the sale of products that purport to be something they are not — <a href="https://bc.ctvnews.ca/crime-stoppers-warns-tens-of-billions-of-dollars-in-counterfeit-goods-imported-into-canada-every-year-1.5348127">costs Canada between $20 billion and $30 billion annually</a>. </p>
<p>Canada is not the only country struggling with counterfeiting — the practice is prevalent in many other countries and across different industries. A 2017 World Health Organization study found that <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/28-11-2017-1-in-10-medical-products-in-developing-countries-is-substandard-or-falsified">around 10 per cent of medicines sold in developing countries may be deceptively counterfeit</a>. </p>
<p>Similarly, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that 20 of 47 items purchased from third-party sellers such as Amazon, eBay and Sears Marketplace <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-18-216.pdf">were counterfeits</a>. Examples included <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/3m-files-lawsuit-against-merchant-selling-masks-on-amazon-for-18-times-list-price-11591642637">counterfeit versions of 3M N95 masks on Amazon</a>.</p>
<p>Given the scale of this ongoing issue, Canadian governments and industries must come together to design new strategies that will protect Canadians while maintaining <a href="https://www.international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/economist-economiste/analysis-analyse/key_facts-2022-01-faits_saillants.aspx?lang=eng">the country’s competitive advantage</a> in the global marketplace.</p>
<h2>Contributing factors</h2>
<p>Several diverse factors contribute to the persistence of counterfeit goods in Canada. The first relates to consumer behaviour, as some buyers may intentionally buy (or fail to avoid) counterfeit goods out of shrewdness or economic necessity. </p>
<p>Second, in terms of product quality, fakes can be very similar to the real thing. For example, the Canadian Intellectual Property Council reported that <a href="https://silo.tips/download/counterfeiting-in-the-canadian-market-how-do-we-stop-it-june-2012">a counterfeit version of a particular Procter & Gamble shampoo was so close to the original</a> even the company’s own sales force couldn’t tell the difference.</p>
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<img alt="A row of sneakers sitting on a table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513284/original/file-20230302-1990-23hdik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513284/original/file-20230302-1990-23hdik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513284/original/file-20230302-1990-23hdik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513284/original/file-20230302-1990-23hdik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513284/original/file-20230302-1990-23hdik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513284/original/file-20230302-1990-23hdik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513284/original/file-20230302-1990-23hdik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Seized counterfeit footwear, including copies of Adidas and Kanye West Yeezy Boost trainers, are displayed at U.K. Border Force offices in London in February 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Third, <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/economy/why-canada-is-a-haven-for-knock-off-goods/">Canadian laws on counterfeit goods are notoriously lax</a>, hindering effective enforcement. In fact, <a href="https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2022/april/ustr-releases-2022-special-301-report-intellectual-property-protection-and-enforcement">the Office of the United States Trade Representative has placed Canada on its watchlist</a> of countries offering the weakest intellectual property (IP) protections.</p>
<p>A fourth factor stems from outsourcing production to overseas suppliers. This leads to a form of counterfeiting called the “third shift.” After a business outsources production, the supplier uses the business’ IP rights to produce counterfeit products in the same factory the original product is made.</p>
<p>Canadian home product manufacturer <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/umbra-struggles-with-copycats-worldwide/article24863725/">Umbra has been plagued by numerous suppliers</a> using a third shift to reproduce its products.</p>
<p>Finally, although some customers may rely on review systems to assess the authenticity of items they buy online, these systems are far from reliable. Counterfeit sellers have found ways to manipulate the review system — <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/11/how-fake-customer-reviews-do-and-dont-work">by purchasing fraudulent five-star reviews</a>, for example.</p>
<p>In light of these difficulties, Canada needs a carefully thought-out approach to mitigate counterfeiting.</p>
<h2>Combating counterfeits</h2>
<p>Because the source of counterfeit products is often the same factory that produces the original product, one remedy is to provide supplier factories with limited quantities of raw materials. Hewlett-Packard does this by <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-21407916">providing its suppliers with a certain number of printheads</a> that are used to manufacture ink cartridges for the company.</p>
<p>Another solution is to allocate parts to different suppliers so that no one supplier has all the parts needed to build a particular product.</p>
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<img alt="A hand peels down the tread on the sole of a boot to reveal a second tread beneath" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513288/original/file-20230302-16-ag2qer.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513288/original/file-20230302-16-ag2qer.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513288/original/file-20230302-16-ag2qer.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513288/original/file-20230302-16-ag2qer.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513288/original/file-20230302-16-ag2qer.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513288/original/file-20230302-16-ag2qer.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513288/original/file-20230302-16-ag2qer.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A U.S. Customs and Border Protection deputy chief officer shows how a Timberland brand on a counterfeit boot is hidden at a warehouse in Kearney, N.J. in 2015.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Richard Drew)</span></span>
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<p>At the same time, many emerging market governments are stepping up enforcement efforts to strengthen IP protections. In 2020, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation released an <a href="https://research.hktdc.com/en/article/NDM0NjM2NzQ2">IP enforcement plan called Iron Fist</a> to better protect the IP rights of various manufacturers. </p>
<p>Similarly, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/e-commerce-battling-over-%20copycat-brands-and-trademarks/articleshow/67399720.cms">India’s IP strategy</a> is to “put greater emphasis on trademark enforcement.” </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ipophil.gov.ph/news/supreme-courts-revised-rules-on-ip-cases-improves-litigation-driving-innovation-and-creativity/">Philippine government’s recent IP legislation</a> aims to “ensure efficient and expeditious adjudication of IP cases” and make “IP litigation less costly and faster.”</p>
<p>For these governments, addressing IP protection is critical to ensuring manufacturers continue to feel comfortable outsourcing operations to their countries. As such, Canada should prioritize and incentivize outsourcing to countries that embrace IP protections.</p>
<h2>Using technology</h2>
<p>Businesses can also use technologies, such as radio-frequency identification or holograms, on their products to help customers identify counterfeits. </p>
<p>Recently, <a href="https://intellectual-property-helpdesk.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/use-blockchain-protect-against-counterfeiting-2022-09-16_en">blockchain technology has been considered as a promising solution</a> to counterfeiting. Several blockchain-based applications have been launched with the aim of tagging products with unique identifiers that can’t be duplicated. </p>
<p><a href="https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3067/paper18.pdf">Blockchain solution provider BlockPharma</a> helps patients check the authenticity of their medicines, while luxury goods giant <a href="https://consensys.net/blog/press-release/lvmh-microsoft-consensys-announce-aura-to-power-luxury-industry/">LVMH Group has partnered with blockchain firm ConsenSys and Microsoft</a> to authenticate products. </p>
<p>This tech-focused strategy aligns with the fact that governments around the world are increasingly encouraging blockchain adoption. The U.K. government, through Innovate UK, has <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/innovate-uk-offers-15-mln-grants-to-develop-blockchain-solutions">pledged the equivalent of C$24 million to fund blockchain companies</a> and the <a href="https://www.ledgerinsights.com/eu-intellectual-property-office-euipo-blockchain-anti-counterfeit/">European Union Intellectual Property Office uses blockchain for anti-counterfeit</a>.</p>
<h2>A joint approach is key</h2>
<p>The many factors that increase Canada’s risk concerning counterfeits, including weak laws and IP protections, make this a challenging policy issue. </p>
<p>However, anti-counterfeit strategies and the advent of new technologies like blockchain present opportunities for Canadian policymakers and industry leaders to develop an effective plan to combat counterfeiting. </p>
<p>Together, Canada’s business and political leaders can build consumer trust while further building Canada’s global advantage.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200624/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hubert Pun receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Grants (No. 430-2022-00517 and No. 435-2022-0271)</span></em></p>The global trade of counterfeit and pirated products costs countries like Canada billions a year. Governments and industries must come together to protect Canadians.Hubert Pun, Professor, Ivey Business School, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1667882021-08-30T12:28:11Z2021-08-30T12:28:11ZIs it a crime to forge a vaccine card? And what’s the penalty for using a fake?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418094/original/file-20210826-6126-1ssbxkq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C43%2C3583%2C2333&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A nurse displays a real COVID-19 vaccination card.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VurusOutbreakNewYork/a08a3aab2bff493281150f094f7e4124/photo">AP Photo/Craig Ruttle</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Schools, businesses, the military and local governments are requiring proof of vaccination. Yet, unlike the European Union and Australia, which have <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56522408">secure digital proof of vaccination</a>, the United States has not created a systematic way to track vaccinations around the nation. Most places in the U.S. instead rely on paper cards with handwritten notes, which can be easily forged.</p>
<p>As scholars of <a href="https://www.bu.edu/law/profile/christopher-robertson/">health law</a> and <a href="https://www.duq.edu/academics/faculty/wesley-oliver">criminal law</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9GZnzpQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">we</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=mPJubJMAAAAJ">know</a> that people who forge their own vaccine cards, or buy forged cards, are already facing criminal charges.</p>
<p>Federal prosecutors have already brought <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/north-bay/doj-naturopathic-physician-sold-fake-covid-19-vaccine-cards/2594493/">criminal charges</a> against a naturopathic doctor in northern California. In a case involving a licensed pharmacist in Chicago, prosecutors argued that selling official vaccination cards to people who were not really vaccinated <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1425031/download">effectively stole something from the government</a>, by giving it to others without the government’s permission.</p>
<p>This isn’t an entirely new phenomenon. For many years, it has been a <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1035">federal crime</a> to make or use “any materially false writing in any matter involving a health care benefit program.”</p>
<h2>What is the harm?</h2>
<p>When people are caught knowingly buying, selling or using false cards, the proof of guilt will often be clear. The real question is about the appropriate punishment.</p>
<p>Some of the relevant laws, such as wire and mail fraud, have penalties of up to $250,000 and 20 years’ imprisonment for each email, website visit, call or package sent as part of the scheme. These charges can add up, so that a person who sent an email requesting the card, used Venmo to pay for it, then received it in the mail could face 60 years of imprisonment and $750,000 in fines. </p>
<p>But in practice, the law gives prosecutors and judges huge <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3893820">discretion</a> on how to charge and sentence offenders. Typically, judges consider the degree of harm caused or at least the value of the thing that was wrongly acquired. In the case of forged vaccine cards, that is a thorny question. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A laminated document" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=244&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=244&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=244&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418095/original/file-20210826-21-1dypveo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">This forged COVID-19 vaccination card was seized during a criminal investigation in California.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreak-FakeVaccinationCards/c417813c1d744e3cbc6dfa1b98e1170d/photo">California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control via AP</a></span>
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<p>A fake vaccination card deceives universities, businesses and employers into granting access they otherwise would not, letting someone use land, buildings or equipment they otherwise would be barred from. In some cases, such as those involving an astronomy researcher supported by federal grants or athletes in bowl games, that access might be worth thousands of dollars. More importantly, that fraudulent access might risk the health of students, clients and staffers who rely on vaccination policies for their own safety. </p>
<p>Prosecutors don’t need to prove that someone was infected or died as a result of a particular person’s use of a fake vaccine card at a specific place and time. The fake card user’s intent to violate trust is sufficient to make the act a crime.</p>
<h2>Counterfeiting is serious</h2>
<p>Aside from the institutions and individuals defrauded, the social harm is obvious. Like counterfeit money or forged checks, a fake vaccination card undermines the public’s faith in all vaccination cards. If a sizable number of documents were illegitimate, people would be unable to trust any of them. </p>
<p><a href="https://guidelines.ussc.gov/gl/%C2%A72B5.1">Punishment in money counterfeiting cases</a>, quite logically, often tracks the value of fake currency possessed. In June 2021, two Maryland men were sentenced to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/captial-heights-man-sentenced-more-three-years-federal-prison-conspiracy-pass-counterfeit">37 months in prison for creating and passing $95,000 in counterfeit bills</a>. But in other cases, the Supreme Court has said that a series of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8709258039539996037">even minor financial frauds</a>, amounting to less than $250 in total losses can lead to life imprisonment.</p>
<p>So far, no one has been sentenced for creating or possessing fake COVID-19 vaccination cards. It is therefore not clear how courts will evaluate the harm done by this sort of fraud.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, whether the harm is conceived as against the government, against the particular people who rely on cards, or against social trust, it is clear that prosecutors and judges have sizable penalties they can hand down.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166788/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Robertson is author of Exposed: Why Our Health Insurance Is Incomplete and What Can Be Done about It (2019).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wesley Oliver does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>People who forge their own vaccine cards, or buy forged cards, are already facing legal problems, including criminal charges.Christopher Robertson, Professor of Law, Boston UniversityWesley Oliver, Professor of Law, Duquesne University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1344922020-03-26T12:15:56Z2020-03-26T12:15:56ZBuyer beware: Counterfeit markets can flourish during a public health crisis<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322710/original/file-20200324-155631-1ltuc54.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=60%2C0%2C6720%2C3450&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Is that online order real or counterfeit?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Rapid acceleration of coronavirus-related infections and fatalities in countries like Italy, Spain and the United States has led to widespread bans on communal activities, global restrictions on travel and an increasing reliance on virtual interactions. </p>
<p>The push to keep people indoors has lead to a <a href="https://www.channeladvisor.com/blog/industry-trends/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-e-commerce-gmv/">substantial increase in e-commerce</a> and internet-based activities, including video streaming, grocery shopping, food delivery and education. People are becoming increasingly reliant upon these services to provide life’s basic necessities – and counterfeiters are primed to take advantage of this unique opportunity. </p>
<p>Counterfeiters have long preyed upon consumer vulnerability in order to make a quick profit. The current coronavirus crisis will likely be no different. However, what is unique about the current crisis is the extent to which consumers are relying upon e-commerce platforms.</p>
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<h2>Crisis drives demand</h2>
<p>The recent seizures of counterfeit testing kits by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/cbp-officers-seize-fake-covid-19-test-kits-lax">LAX</a> and <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/03/20/counterfeit-coronavirus-test-kits-seized-at-chicago-airport/">Chicago’s O’Hare</a> airport are proof that the counterfeiters have begun to take advantage of this crisis.
These seizures are a stark reminder that <a href="https://globalbiodefense.com/2019/04/01/counterfeit-medications-what-we-know-and-what-needs-to-be-done/">counterfeiters will prey upon vulnerable populations</a> wherever they may be. </p>
<p>Prior public health crises can provide clues as to what can be expected from the current crisis. For example, during the Ebola crisis, there was no vaccine available to treat infected patients, so <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/counterfeiting-ebola-fake_b_6102934">health care providers focused on treating the symptoms and related infections</a> that came along with the disease. Counterfeiters worked hard to get fake versions of common medications into the legitimate supply chain, as demand for these goods rose. </p>
<p>Once targeted therapies for Ebola were developed, demand for these commonly used medications fell away, and counterfeiters shifted to producing <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60858-3/fulltext#seccestitle140">fake versions of the new treatments</a>. Counterfeit medicines took the place of legitimate medicines that would have been used to treat people with the disease.</p>
<p>As a scholar who has been immersed in the <a href="http://a-capp.msu.edu/jay-kennedy/">study of product counterfeiting</a> for the past five years, I expect to see a similar pattern with the current coronavirus crisis. Counterfeiters will put their efforts into flooding the market with products that are in demand until specific coronavirus treatments are developed, at which point they will shift to producing counterfeits of those treatments. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322668/original/file-20200324-141843-1ap6awd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322668/original/file-20200324-141843-1ap6awd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322668/original/file-20200324-141843-1ap6awd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322668/original/file-20200324-141843-1ap6awd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322668/original/file-20200324-141843-1ap6awd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322668/original/file-20200324-141843-1ap6awd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322668/original/file-20200324-141843-1ap6awd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322668/original/file-20200324-141843-1ap6awd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A package containing suspected counterfeit COVID-19 test kits, seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Virus-Outbreak-California/99ea152da16b4409bbc3197ae0384eb6/1/0">U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Risks of e-commerce</h2>
<p>Before the coronavirus crisis began, e-commerce services were already <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/02/shop-safe-act-2020-cracks-down-on-counterfeits-on-ecommerce-platforms.html">under heavy scrutiny</a> from U.S. lawmakers for their lack of action regarding counterfeit products, ranging from <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/11/14/how-amazons-quest-more-cheaper-products-has-resulted-flea-market-fakes/?arc404=true">jewelry and footwear</a> to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/04/amazon-may-have-a-counterfeit-problem/558482/">cellphones and electronics</a>. </p>
<p>The current threat creates a potentially dangerous situation, as consumers seeking products that are in demand yet scarcely available, like hand sanitizer and face masks, may turn to the very venues that are most used by counterfeiters to dupe the unsuspecting public. Sites like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-find-fake-products-online-shopping-amazon-ebay-walmart-2018-3">Amazon, Walmart Marketplace</a> and <a href="https://www.classaction.org/news/wish.com-allegedly-rife-with-counterfeit-products-despite-verified-by-wish-claims-class-action-lawsuit-says">Wish.com</a> have all experienced <a href="https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2018/07/17/wish-faces-criticism-over-suspected-counterfeits/">serious problems with counterfeit products</a>.</p>
<p>Crisis-driven consumer demand, mixed with waning product inventories and an increasing reliance upon internet-based commerce, creates ideal conditions for product counterfeiting. Yet, in my view, the most dangerous aspect of the current crisis is consumers’ inability to reliably distinguish genuine goods from fake products.</p>
<p>Consumers sometimes <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JPBM-06-2018-1921/full/html">have a good ability to identify counterfeit logos</a> when the legitimate brand is well-recognized and the fake logo contains easily identifiable errors. For example, differences in the color or placement of a brand’s logo are one of the most prominent clues that an item is fake.</p>
<p>However, counterfeiters that operate on e-commerce platforms have become very adept at <a href="https://www.pharmiweb.com/article/the-battle-against-counterfeit-packaging">producing authentic-looking packaging</a> and logos. </p>
<p>Furthermore, when it comes to testing kits and other coronavirus-related products that are yet to be developed, consumers have no frame of reference upon which they can rely when attempting to determine an item’s legitimacy. That makes it more likely that counterfeit products will proliferate throughout the marketplace during the current crisis.</p>
<p>For example, take at-home coronavirus testing kits. Many journalists and consumers see <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/at-home-coronavirus-tests-now-available-companies-say">at-home testing kits</a> as an ideal means to tackle the disease more quickly and fill the current gap in hospital-based tests. </p>
<p>However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated clearly that <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/21/fda-warns-new-home-coronavirus-tests-unauthorized/">none of these tests has been approved</a> for use. Therefore, any tests consumers see advertised are unapproved. </p>
<h2>Be alert</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322671/original/file-20200324-155640-10o8vp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322671/original/file-20200324-155640-10o8vp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322671/original/file-20200324-155640-10o8vp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=764&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322671/original/file-20200324-155640-10o8vp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=764&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322671/original/file-20200324-155640-10o8vp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=764&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322671/original/file-20200324-155640-10o8vp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=960&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322671/original/file-20200324-155640-10o8vp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=960&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322671/original/file-20200324-155640-10o8vp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=960&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Royal Mail employee delivers parcels in London.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Virus-Outbreak-Vulnerable-Workers/b0b95e13696d45c686a8b1b8b12dc5c0/13/0">AP Photo/Frank Augstein</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While the current crisis presents many new and substantial challenges, it also affords consumers the opportunity to be vigilant in mitigating risks. </p>
<p>For example, consumers should verify the sellers of products found online before making purchases. Sites like Amazon and Walmart Marketplace cater to third parties looking to sell products to consumers. Counterfeiters can take advantage of the <a href="https://www.inta.org/PDF%20Library/INTA%20Best%20Practices%20for%20Addressing%20the%20Sale%20of%20Counterfeits%20on%20the%20Internet.pdf">anonymity afforded by e-commerce platforms</a>. </p>
<p>Be sure to verify that the brand you are looking to buy actually sells their products on the site; then verify that the entity advertising the product is the company that actually makes the product. </p>
<p>To aid in this process, brands can inform consumers about how to buy legitimate products by creating direct links from their official corporate pages to their official e-commerce sites. For companies that sell through distribution, it is essential that they <a href="https://www.smtc.com/about/sustainability/preventing-counterfeit-parts-in-manufacturing">maintain a list of approved vendors</a>, which I would highly recommend they publish in a way that is easily accessible to consumers.</p>
<p>Now, more than any time in the recent past, the global health risks of counterfeit goods are clear and present. They should prompt governments, businesses and consumers to be vigilant.</p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134492/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jay Kennedy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The recent seizures of counterfeit testing kits by U.S. Customs and Border Protection show that the counterfeiters have begun to take advantage of the coronavirus crisis.Jay Kennedy, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1213942019-08-29T13:11:04Z2019-08-29T13:11:04ZWhy are dollar bills green?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287412/original/file-20190808-144892-lmuonu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Have you ever wondered why U.S. money is green?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hands-holding-us-dollar-bills-small-367090130?src=WjOxzXKYvRsZUj6xpRpzTQ-1-33">Yulia Grigoryeva/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/curious-kids-us-74795">Curious Kids</a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">curiouskidsus@theconversation.com</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Why is money green? – Marek P., age 12, Dorchester, Massachusetts</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>We use money all the time, but have you ever wondered why it’s green?</p>
<p>As a <a href="http://american.academia.edu/JonahEstess">student of the history of U.S. money</a>, I study <a href="https://www.gothamcenter.org/blog/republics-are-not-ungrateful-the-american-revolution-and-memory-in-new-york-city">how people understand the purpose of money in their lives</a> and how people feel about the way the government produces it.</p>
<p>Learning the history of money has helped me answer questions people have about why it comes in certain colors and not other colors. For example, why is U.S. money green, instead of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/27/new-zealands-stunning-5-note-named-best-banknote-of-the-year">orange, like it is in New Zealand</a>?</p>
<h2>Why green?</h2>
<p>While our money is not completely green, it has lots of green ink on it. The green ink on paper money <a href="https://www.moneyfactory.gov/resources/faqs.html">protects against counterfeiting</a>. Counterfeiting is <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterfeit">the process of making fake money</a> that tricks people and the government into thinking that it is real money.</p>
<p>Counterfeiting is dangerous because it causes <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070616172012/http://wfhummel.cnchost.com/counterfeiting.html">the value of the real money to go down</a>. If this happens, <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/inflation.asp">people need more dollar bills, and therefore more money, to buy things</a>. This special green ink is just one tool that the government uses to protect us from counterfeiters.</p>
<p>Also, there was lots of green ink for the government to use when it started printing the money we have now. The green color also does not fade or decompose easily.</p>
<h2>When US money was different colors</h2>
<p>In Colonial America, the colonies printed their own currency <a href="https://time.com/4675303/money-colonial-america-currency-history/">for several reasons</a>.</p>
<p>One reason was that colonists often <a href="https://www.lizcovart.com/blog/why-colonial-america-suffered-from-a-currency-shortage">did not have enough coins to buy food and household items</a>. Colonial money was often intended to give colonists a way to buy what they needed or wanted. This money was initially <a href="https://www.frbsf.org/education/teacher-resources/american-currency-exhibit/independence/">tan with black or red ink</a>.</p>
<p>During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress printed money that was also a tan color called continental dollars.</p>
<p>Just like the green color of our paper money today, the Continental Congress used a specific kind of material that only it could buy in order to prevent counterfeiting. <a href="https://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/NYHSR01/id/12000/rec/190">The paper was made of cloth, sometimes silk</a> and <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/isinglass">isinglass</a>, which is somewhat see-through and made from fish air bladders.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287413/original/file-20190808-144847-kujmmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287413/original/file-20190808-144847-kujmmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287413/original/file-20190808-144847-kujmmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287413/original/file-20190808-144847-kujmmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287413/original/file-20190808-144847-kujmmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287413/original/file-20190808-144847-kujmmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287413/original/file-20190808-144847-kujmmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The three-pence note of Pennsylvania was printed by Benjamin Franklin in 1764.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_American_currency#/media/File:US-Colonial_(PA-115)-Pennsylvania-18_Jun_1764.jpg">Godot13/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>After the revolution</h2>
<p>The U.S. government didn’t print any paper money for a long time after the American Revolution, since Congress believed that <a href="http://numismatics.org/a-history-of-american-currency/">Americans would trust coins</a> more than paper money.</p>
<p>People no longer trusted paper money largely because too much <a href="http://infostation1.net/books/Zarlenga,%20LOST%20SCIENCE%20OF%20MONEY/CHAPTER%2014%20-%20US%20COLONIAL%20MONEYS/SOURCES/ERIC%20NEWMAN%20-%20ARTICLE%20ON%20COUNTERFEITING%20OF%20CONTINENTAL/article%20about%20counterfeiting%20continentals%20by%20british.pdf">counterfeit money existed during the Revolution</a>. Besides, gold and silver coins were trustworthy because they were made of valuable metals.</p>
<p>Congress eventually passed a law called <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/this-day-in-politics-legal-tender-act-passed-feb-25-1862-103857">the Legal Tender Act of 1862</a> allowing the federal government to print paper money.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287415/original/file-20190808-144862-1k8zt43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287415/original/file-20190808-144862-1k8zt43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287415/original/file-20190808-144862-1k8zt43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287415/original/file-20190808-144862-1k8zt43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287415/original/file-20190808-144862-1k8zt43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287415/original/file-20190808-144862-1k8zt43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287415/original/file-20190808-144862-1k8zt43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287415/original/file-20190808-144862-1k8zt43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The ‘Greenback’ was first issued in 1862.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenback_(1860s_money)#/media/File:US-$1-LT-1862-Fr-16c.jpg">Godot13/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The government began printing money again <a href="https://www.treasurydirect.gov/kids/history/history_civilwar.htm">because the government was struggling</a> to pay for the Civil War. Both the <a href="https://www.moaf.org/exhibits/checks_balances/abraham-lincoln/greenback">Union</a> and <a href="https://www.frbsf.org/education/teacher-resources/american-currency-exhibit/civil-war/">Confederacy</a> printed their own money, and both sides used green ink partly because it made counterfeiting more difficult. Money printed by the Union came to be known as “<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/greenback.asp">greenbacks</a>.”</p>
<p>Today, our money is green because the government has <a href="https://www.moneyfactory.gov/resources/faqs.html">no real reason to change the color</a>. The government is able to produce enough of it for people to use, can protect against counterfeiting and makes sure that we can trust our money to remain valuable.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121394/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonah Estess does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The color of American money goes back to the British colonies.Jonah Estess, Ph.D. Student of History, American UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1009162018-10-31T10:39:24Z2018-10-31T10:39:24ZFake e-cigarette liquid is putting vapers at risk – here’s how we can tackle the fraud<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243217/original/file-20181031-76393-1su77vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/vape-pen-smoke-688335403?src=jpJQoRC2TNDaTpP35K6Egg-1-3">Fotogrin/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over 35m people worldwide now use e-cigarettes, according to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44295336">one estimate</a>. In the US, this <a href="http://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2698112/prevalence-distribution-e-cigarette-use-among-u-s-adults-behavioral">includes 4.5%</a> of the adult population. But the rise in vaping has led to a trade in fake e-liquids – the mix of water, glycerol, propylene glycol, flavours and (usually) nicotine used to create the vapour of e-cigarettes. </p>
<p>Fake e-liquids are those that contain ingredients or incorrect concentrations of them that do not match those on the label. In particular, fakes often contain <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317419969_Counterfeit_Electronic_Cigarette_Products_with_Mislabeled_Nicotine_Concentrations">less or more nicotine</a> than their labels claim, or impurities such as other drugs. The problem is that there is no current way to be sure exactly what is in an e-liquid, and no official certification scheme to guarantee that a label claim is accurate. </p>
<p>However, my colleagues and I are working on a way to use <a href="https://www.americanpharmaceuticalreview.com/Featured-Articles/185890-Evaluating-Handheld-Spectroscopic-Techniques-For-Identifying-Counterfeit-Branded-And-Generic-Medicines-Worldwide/">handheld scanning technology</a> to spot fake e-liquids. This system could help to catch fraudsters because it does not just prove an e-liquid does not match its labelling but also provides a chemical “fingerprint” that can be linked back to its creators.</p>
<p>The internet has made it much easier for fraudsters to sell fake goods, and e-liquids are no exception. The problem is still new enough that we do not have good data on how common it is, but <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/trsg/trs/2017/00000003/00000004/art00003">anecdotal evidence</a> suggests many vapers are aware of the issue.</p>
<p>Nicotine e-liquids typically contain concentrations of between 0.1% and 2% of the drug, depending on the strength the vaper prefers. <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32014L0040">Current EU law</a> means higher concentrations of nicotine than this are illegal. And manufacturers are required to declare any ingredient that accounts for more than 0.1% of its content.</p>
<p>Buying a fake e-liquid is not just annoying, it is potentially dangerous. It is rare for someone to consume so much nicotine that it becomes toxic, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24091634">but it can happen</a>. High doses of nicotine can result in unwanted stimulant effects such as hypertension (high blood pressure), tachycardia (unusually high heart rate), tremors and even seizures. Impurities in nicotine can also affect the body but this is difficult to predict and depends on what the impurity is and its concentration.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243220/original/file-20181031-76405-cpm2er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243220/original/file-20181031-76405-cpm2er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243220/original/file-20181031-76405-cpm2er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243220/original/file-20181031-76405-cpm2er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243220/original/file-20181031-76405-cpm2er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243220/original/file-20181031-76405-cpm2er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243220/original/file-20181031-76405-cpm2er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Handheld chemical scanners could reveal exactly what’s in an e-liquid.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hand-held-spectrometer-chemical-analysis-selective-727323115?src=-ytsvhaPO2CJ09h1ob06_Q-1-0">Mr.1/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Having a portable technology that can authenticate products would help law enforcement officers identify fake e-liquids, catch the criminals supplying them and so prevent the health problems they cause. So we have tailored portable scanning technology already used to detect other <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2011/ay/c1ay05227f#!divAbstract">counterfeit products including medicine</a> and food, by creating a library of chemical signatures for e-liquids and the software to compare them to the scan results.</p>
<p>The technology works by firing near-infrared light at a sample. Different ingredients will reflect or absorb the light by different amounts. So measuring this reflection gives a spectrum that acts like a fingerprint, which we can use to identify the liquid’s physical and chemical properties. Our algorithms can then interpret this fingerprint and compare it to our library of other spectra to assess how likely it is that the liquid contains what the label says it does.</p>
<p>Using this kind of portable spectroscopic technology saves on the cost, labour and time of taking a sample into the laboratory, preparing and measuring it and then processing the data. Instead, our system can scan a sample and tell users how close a match it is to entries from the library – and so how much nicotine and other ingredients it contains – without the need for them to have specialist training. Collecting a signature takes a few seconds and the results are ready within a couple of minutes. The equipment is also stable in hot and cold climates and can be used in the field for long periods of time. </p>
<p>As portable versions of these instruments are already available for detecting fake drugs and tobacco, it would be easy to adapt them for law enforcement agents. All you need to do is develop the right library of chemical signatures to detect a variety of fake e-liquids, as we have started doing. Then the police can start cracking down on this potentially dangerous trade.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100916/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sulaf Assi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Handheld scanning technology could help police crack down on e-liquids with too much nicotine.Sulaf Assi, Senior lecturer in forensic sciences, Bournemouth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1031682018-09-13T15:28:01Z2018-09-13T15:28:01Z‘Fake food’ in South Africa: myths, misinformation and not enough data<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236212/original/file-20180913-177938-1x5aeg1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Foreign spaza shop owners are being accused of selling "fake" food. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/762591055?src=uqyvmLTkVKuxsUY0RDTxpQ-1-1&size=medium_jpg">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Owners of small shops in South Africa – in most cases foreigners – have been accused of stocking counterfeit food and food that’s past its sell-by date. The issue has been caught up in xenophobic violence, with shop owners targeted by <a href="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-09-10-human-rights-commission-to-hold-inquiry-into-fake-food-after-soweto-protests/">South Africans</a> . There is very little hard data about what’s referred to as “fake food” in both the formal and informal sectors. This means the issue is politically charged and dominated by opinions, not evidence. The Conversation Africa’s Ina Skosana asked Jane Battersby-Lennard and Gareth Haysom to unpack this issue.</em></p>
<p><strong>What is counterfeit food?</strong></p>
<p>There are many different kinds of counterfeiting. Not all pose a risk to consumers, though some clearly do. Counterfeit doesn’t necessarily mean unsafe, and consumers aren’t necessarily unaware of counterfeiting. They may in fact choose these goods for cost or convenience reasons.</p>
<p>Counterfeit foods that don’t pose a risk include what are called “diverted products”. These goods are only licensed to be sold in one place or in one format but are sold elsewhere. This could include multipack items sold individually, free promotion goods being sold, or supermarket brand items being sold outside a supermarket. They could be over-runs from factories, or goods taken from food producers by employees and sold on. </p>
<p>Counterfeit foods that pose more of a problem include simulations – goods made to replicate branded items. They often use cheaper ingredients and can have health risks. Another risky area is tampered food: products that have been adulterated by adding materials to bulk them out, or foods that have been re-worked to refresh them after expiration dates. A South African chicken company was accused of <a href="https://www.news24.com/Archives/City-Press/Chicken-scandal-state-faults-company-20150429">doing this seven years ago</a>.</p>
<p>There are also troubling, yet seemingly spurious allegations, that food has been contaminated with non-food items like plastic. The Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi, <a href="https://www.gov.za/speeches/media-statement-minister-health-allegations-fake-and-expired-food-5-sep-2018-0000">has stated</a> that the department hasn’t received any evidence of this, or notifications of people becoming ill as a result. </p>
<p><strong>How big a problem is counterfeit food in South Africa?</strong></p>
<p>We just don’t know how extensive the different kinds of counterfeiting are. It is clearly present in both formal and informal sectors of the food system. The general consensus is that it’s increasing.</p>
<p>There is an important difference between how extensive counterfeit food’s presence is and how big a problem is it. Who is it a problem for? If we are thinking about problems for health, it is important to note that the largest food borne disease crisis South Africa has had – <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-major-mistakes-tiger-brands-made-in-response-to-the-listeriosis-crisis-93210">listeriosis</a> – was traced back to non-counterfeit food from a large company.</p>
<p><strong>How big a problem is the sale of expired food?</strong></p>
<p>In South Africa perishable foods have to have an expiration date after which they can’t be sold or donated. Non-perishables – foods with a stable shelf life – have best before dates. These are for quality, not safety, and foods can legally be sold after these dates. Many people buy these products as they get them at discounted rates.</p>
<p>The danger is when expiration dates are tampered with and consumers are illegally sold expired food, or if best before dates are tampered with and consumers lose the ability to make their own quality judgements.</p>
<p>But different kinds of counterfeiting of different kinds of food have different potential health outcomes. Expired foods can cause serious illness, even death but expiration dates on foods are generally conservative to protect companies from liability. Some foods may well still be safe after their expiration date.</p>
<p>Foods outside of their best before date, especially non-perishables, have far less risk.</p>
<p>From a business point of view, counterfeit foods can pose a threat to the owners of companies that make legitimate products. </p>
<p><strong>What’s missing in the debate?</strong></p>
<p>A lot. All blame for counterfeit food is being unfairly directed at foreigners – both vendors and the alleged “<a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2014-11-06-price-is-king-in-clash-of-the-spazas">cartels</a>” supplying them. These allegations have serious consequences. Government has initiated “blitzes” on foreign-owned shops, seized goods and shut down businesses. Some communities have turned to looting shops and inciting xenophobic violence. </p>
<p>However, counterfeiting exists for many reasons. These need to be considered in the debates about ‘fake’ foods. </p>
<p>Firstly, counterfeiting is difficult to control because of the globalisation of supply chains combined with weak national and international enforcement of trade regulations. </p>
<p>Secondly, regulations are poorly enforced at the local level, as evidenced by the failure of environmental health in the listeria outbreak. On the one hand technological innovations are making it cheaper to produce counterfeit foods or replica labels. On the other hand, there’s consumer complicity: people want cheap goods. </p>
<p>Thirdly, there’s the issue of market dominance and the barriers to entry for legitimate businesses that produce “off brand” items. To what extent are large, formal retailers being protected against market entry by smaller players? How then do smaller suppliers enter the market?</p>
<p><strong>What needs to be done?</strong></p>
<p>The solution to concerns about food safety from counterfeit foods isn’t to confiscate goods from foreign traders, criminalise shop owners and close their shops. These steps seem to be driven by political, rather than health, motives.</p>
<p>Rather, the first step should be to make sure better data is gathered on the extent of the sale of counterfeit foods – recognising the diversity of kinds of counterfeiting and assessing the relative health risks.</p>
<p>There is also a need to understand why counterfeit goods appear on the market and to address the root causes. These may include a commitment to greater transparency at border control; and redoubling commitment to training environmental health officers in municipalities so that they can actually conduct food testing from both formal and informal retailers and producers.</p>
<p>It’s also important to address barriers to entry for smaller producers who want to enter the market legally but are excluded. And, ultimately, South Africa must address food insecurity and poverty. These are the main drivers of consumer demand for cheap foods.</p>
<p><em>Etai Even-Zahav, a researcher at the Sustainability Institute at Stellenbosch, contributed to this article</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103168/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jane Battersby receives funding from the International Development Research Centre, and the Economic and Social Research Council and Department for International Development. She is currently a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania. Jane Battersby is also a member of the Independent Expert Group of the Global Nutrition Report.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gareth Haysom receives funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the International
Partnerships for Sustainable Societies (IPaSS) Program and Economic and Social Research Council (UK) and the UK Department for International Development.</span></em></p>Foreign shop-owners in South Africa are accused of selling counterfeit food and food beyond its sell-by date. These claims are driven by politically charged opinions, not evidence.Jane Battersby, Senior Researcher in Urban Food Security and Food Systems, University of Cape TownGareth Haysom, Researcher at the African Centre for Cities, University of Cape TownLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/739922017-05-19T10:51:06Z2017-05-19T10:51:06ZTrue crime: why the Irish counterfeiting wave of the late 18th century was a myth<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169604/original/file-20170516-11937-t9i88y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Satirical Bank Note (1820), highlighting how easy it was to be hanged for spending fake money, despite how prevalent it was.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/george-cruikshank-and-william-hones-satirical-bank-restiction-note">George Cruikshank and William Hone</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The claim that immigrants or minorities are more criminal than the general population is a common trope. From Donald Trump’s <a href="http://www.politifact.com/virginia/statements/2016/aug/08/tim-kaine/tim-kaine-falsely-says-trump-said-all-mexicans-are/">claim</a> that Mexicans in the US were “bringing drugs … bringing crime. They’re rapists”, to the <a href="https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/portrayal.htm">frequent portrayal of African-Americans as having a criminal mentality</a>, to how black men are disproportionately <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2230.2007.00671.x/full">stopped by the police under “stop and search” laws in the UK</a>. Other studies have explored how “<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2003.tb00986.x/full">driving while black</a>” can increase a drivers’ likelihood of being charged with a traffic offence.</p>
<p>People have long blamed those unlike themselves. Are immigrants and minorities more criminal than locals, or just more likely to get caught – or even just more likely to be blamed? An example of <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03058034.2016.1270876">Irish living in London</a> at the beginning of the professional police era shows that who ends up in front of the judge is more dependent on how the crime is policed than on who is responsible. If police tactics unduly target minority groups, then this inflation of the criminal statistics can, and has, been used to paint minority groups in a negative light. </p>
<h2>Bank notes not worth the paper</h2>
<p>London experienced a massive crime wave between 1797 and 1821, linked almost entirely to counterfeiting and forgery. The problem got so bad that people began to worry if the cash in their pocket was real – aware that they could be executed for knowingly spending bad money. Bank notes had only recently been introduced in England and, as historian <a href="https://history.uoregon.edu/profile/rmcgowen/">Randall McGowen</a> has remarked, they were “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0738248000002923">scarcely more than a printed form with a number, a date and a clerk’s signature</a>”. Forgers even had the gall to produce the fake bank notes in prison, selling them onward for a fraction of their face value to anyone brave enough to attempt to pass them off in the city’s shops.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170107/original/file-20170519-12237-1x0y7l2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170107/original/file-20170519-12237-1x0y7l2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170107/original/file-20170519-12237-1x0y7l2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=295&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170107/original/file-20170519-12237-1x0y7l2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=295&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170107/original/file-20170519-12237-1x0y7l2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=295&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170107/original/file-20170519-12237-1x0y7l2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170107/original/file-20170519-12237-1x0y7l2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170107/original/file-20170519-12237-1x0y7l2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A George III gold sovereign from 1817, when coins were made of gold – unless they were fakes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Classical Numismatic Group</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Even coinage, then comprised of actual silver and gold, was at risk. Talented button makers and engravers turned their attention to the technically similar processes of making false coins, which would be made with a cheaper metal and rubbed with <em>aqua fortis</em> (nitric acid) or <em>aqua regis</em> (a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids) to <a href="https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?div=t18110220-4">make the fake appear either silver or gold</a> respectively.</p>
<p>Soon the city was crawling with fake money, including more than 250,000 forged banknotes. Patrick Colquhoun, a magistrate of the era, estimated 120 sellers were each distributing hundreds of false coins onto the city’s streets. He singled out the Irish as one of the problem groups behind the crime wave.</p>
<h2>Justice deserved?</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/jbr.2013.56">Peter King’s</a> previous research on Irish crime claimed the justice system did not show an anti-Irish prejudice and that the Irish criminals got what was coming to them. Certainly there are records from London’s courtrooms to support this. </p>
<p>For example, Irishmen John Fennell and James Gillington were <a href="https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?div=t18020428-50">arrested in 1799</a> after having allegedly forged more than 600 bank notes with a home-made printing press. But at the other end of the spectrum the records are filled with Irish such as John Brown, who tried to <a href="https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?div=t18030420-130">pay for his glass of gin</a> at the pub with a false coin. Looking at the numbers alone the Irish do seem to have been a problem – but these numbers hide the extent to which policing strategy affected who got arrested in the first place.</p>
<p>Initially, the authorities relied almost exclusively on tips from shopkeepers who had been offered false money. It fell to them to detain suspects and call for the watchman who would make the arrest. This meant people spending false money had a far greater chance of getting arrested than those involved in the more profitable aspects of manufacture and wholesale. </p>
<p>The Irish were more involved in the petty but very public act of spending the money – those aspects of the crime most associated with poverty. As new arrivals, the Irish were at a further disadvantage, and <a href="https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?div=t18110918-179">cunning locals were only too happy to trick</a> their new “friends” into buying a round at the bar with the false coins they supplied. With the system of policing set up to almost exclusively target these minor players, the courtrooms filled with poor Irish which led to their reputation for criminality. </p>
<h2>Enter the detectives</h2>
<p>Despite these arrests the problem of forgery worsened. So, in 1812, the Bank of England changed its strategy, encouraging specialist detectives to hunt for the real counterfeiters. With generous rewards as incentives, these detectives soon managed to infiltrate the criminal networks. This often involved using accomplices in the crime to trick the counterfeiters and wholesalers into selling to an undercover agent, in exchange for a reduction in their own sentence.</p>
<p>For the first time the Bank was encouraging local criminals to “out” other local criminals and, as they did so, the ethnic makeup of defendants appearing in the court began to change: the number of English defendants rose 27-fold in the years immediately after the change in policing strategy.</p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03058034.2016.1270876">research</a> highlights what gets missed when policing focuses on crime perpetrated by ethnic minorities. No one at the time noticed the dramatic reduction in Irish defendants but, by the 1810s, the claim that the Irish were behind the forged currency crime wave was unsupportable. This wasn’t because the situation had changed for the criminals, but because the police had changed where they were looking for them – and discovered that the real culprits behind the crime wave were the local English, and probably always had been.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/73992/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam Crymble receives funding from The British Academy/Leverhulme Trust. </span></em></p>The 19th century Irish crimewave that wasn’t: how a change of policing brought the English counterfeiters to book.Adam Crymble, Lecturer in digital history, University of HertfordshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/706062016-12-20T09:27:24Z2016-12-20T09:27:24ZDodgy watches and rotgut vodka could ruin your Yuletide<p>At this time of year, people are rushing out to buy gifts and stock up on both luxuries and essentials. This splurge of spending means inevitably that wallets and purses will be stretched – so shoppers will be looking out for a bargain. But when is a bargain actually something more sinister? The UK Intellectual Property Office has recently warned of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dont-have-a-fake-christmas">growing problem of counterfeit goods</a>. </p>
<p>Counterfeit products cost the global economy <a href="https://share.america.gov/whats-wrong-with-buying-counterfeit-goods">an estimated US$250 billion (£201 billion) each year</a>, with the European Union losing an <a href="http://www.beveragedaily.com/Markets/EU-economy-loses-35bn-a-year-due-to-counterfeiting">estimated €35 billion a year due to counterfeiting</a>. Customs in Hong Kong, from where many fake products enter the UK, recently confiscated <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2055242/customs-seizes-hk10-million-fake-products-popular-hong-kong">£1m worth of fake goods</a> – and there have been many seizures around Britain, with <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35925119">Manchester, Birmingham and Newham in East London</a> emerging as hotspots.</p>
<p>The most common items are knock-off luxury handbags, watches, clothing, fashion accessories from designer labels, perfumes, tobacco, alcohol and electronics. In 2010, an investigation by luxury brand Louis Vuitton led to raids and 30,171 anti-counterfeiting procedures worldwide, resulting in the seizure of thousands of counterfeit products and the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36782724">break up of criminal networks</a>. Yet complaints about the knock-off goods on social networking sites have <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/facebook-fakes-crackdown-online-crooks-7190581">risen by 400% since 2010</a>. Recently, the voucher and deals site Groupon found itself at the centre of controversy when consumer watchdogs found that gold and sapphire jewellery and branded Ralph Lauren clothing sold by the site <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/groupon-centre-fake-goods-scandal-9268413">were in fact fakes</a>. </p>
<p>Law enforcement has been <a href="http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-shopkeeper-rapped-selling-fake-11656235">diligent</a> leading to <a href="http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/sellers-warned-not-to-sell-fakes-as-gloucester-man-convicted-of-selling-counterfeit-goods/story-29940824-detail/story.html">convictions</a> but, as with other illegal products, it is hard to locate and cut supply chains. Earlier this year, luxury brands won a significant victory in their battle with the billion-dollar online counterfeit industry when the Court of Appeal in London ruled that brands could ask internet service providers to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/76b67ba8-330c-11e6-bda0-04585c31b153">block access to websites selling counterfeit goods</a>.</p>
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<h2>Why consumers buy fakes</h2>
<p>There’s been a significant amount of research into <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296308001550">why people buy counterfeit goods</a> and the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053535709000407">types of people who may be more willing to do so</a>. Essentially, counterfeit products provide a status symbol at a fraction of the cost of luxury brands. High-end fakes, especially designer watches, are now so good that <a href="http://time.com/money/4207990/how-to-tell-rolex-fake">even dealers can be fooled</a>. Some consumers feel that genuine brands charge unfair prices, and may find comfort in thinking that they “<a href="http://www.open.edu/openlearn/society/the-law/criminology/why-people-buy-counterfeit-brands">beat the system</a>” by buying a convincing fake. However, if the fake is discovered then the buyer’s reputation is at risk of being dragged through the mud in front of the very same people with whom they were attempting to raise their status. </p>
<h2>Why avoid counterfeit products?</h2>
<p>Aside from moral reasons around depriving rights holders of the fruits of their labours, and the desire not to give money to the purported <a href="https://www.unodc.org/toc/en/crimes/counterfeit-goods.html">criminal enterprises supported by counterfeiting</a>, there are some practical reasons not to risk buying a knock-off.</p>
<p>Electronics are the most convincing illustration. Counterfeit Apple products such as power adapters and chargers have flooded online retailers like Amazon. Whereas an original Macbook Pro power adaptor costs £80, replicas can be found for only £27, and £19 iPhone-branded charging cables are sold for only £6. The cheaper product brings risks with it, however, as investigators found that <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3993926/Is-charger-safe-Experts-say-99-cent-fake-Apple-products-KILL-s-spot-them.html">99% of counterfeit chargers run the risk of electric shocks</a> and short-circuits that could cause fires and could <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38167551">injure or even kill</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/businessman-who-imported-dangerous-counterfeit-12316895">Counterfeit toys</a> often are incorrectly labelled, of poor quality craftsmanship, and represent <a href="http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/raid-cambridgeshire-home-sees-massive-12315271">potential choking hazards to young children</a>. Among the most counterfeited items are popular gadgets such as self-balancing scooters or “hoverboards” – and these have been regularly found to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/dec/03/hoverboards-explosion-risk-product-recalls-trading-standards">overheat and explode</a>. </p>
<p>Another danger area is counterfeit cigarettes and alcohol. Cigarettes have been found to contain <a href="http://www.itv.com/news/central/story/2014-08-26/warnings-over-dangers-of-counterfeit-cigarettes">arsenic, mould, dead flies and even rat droppings</a>, while batches of counterfeit vodka have caused <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2697876/Deadly-fake-spirits-flooding-Britains-licences-Laced-bleach-nail-polish-anti-freeze.html">illness and even deaths</a> from the use of ethylene glycol (antifreeze) which attacks the kidneys and heart, methanol that can result in blindness, and isopropyl alcohol that can even in small quantities cause drinkers to fall into a coma. Russian authorities estimate deaths from counterfeit vodka at <a href="https://www.interpol.int/Media/Files/Crime-areas/Trafficking-in-Illicit-Goods/Against-Organized-Crime-INTERPOL-Trafficking-and-Counterfeiting-Casebook">45,000 in the early 2000s, falling to around 12,000 in 2010</a>. </p>
<p>Cosmetics sold online have been rumbled as fakes after laboratory tests and some have been associated with potential side-effects including skin irritation, swelling, rashes, burns and even <a href="http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2016-12-07/reports-of-counterfeit-cosmetics-being-sold-in-durham">long-term health problems</a>. </p>
<h2>More than meets the eye</h2>
<p>While some shoppers will willingly buy a fake, others are unwittingly scammed when their full-price products turn out to be counterfeit. Even the money we shop with can be counterfeit – <a href="http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/567898/fake-fiver-5-note-counterfeit-scam-christmas">fake £5</a> and <a href="http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/scales-justice-woman-court-using-12330612">£20 notes</a> are in circulation – while other scammers find ways to dupe unsuspecting users into revealing their private <a href="https://www.getsafeonline.org/blog/watch-out-for-banking-scammers/">online banking details</a>. </p>
<p>Even the documents and means we use to identify ourselves and prove that we are not fake are themselves faked: investigators recently raided a fake US embassy in Accra, Ghana, complete with US flags, photos of the president and multilingual “consular officials” that had been <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2046ffde-bacc-11e6-8b45-b8b81dd5d080">issuing visas, travel permits, and fake identification for an unbelievable ten years</a>.</p>
<h2>How to spot a fake</h2>
<p>For luxury goods such as handbags, the recognisable logos and monograms are so well replicated that the surest way to identify a fake is in the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/designer-handbag-fake-real-louis-vuitton-chanel-hermes-the-realreal-a7469411.html">craftsmanship and the materials</a>. Botched logos, font mismatches or misspellings are dead giveaways. But, a good fake can be hard even for the manufacturing company to distinguish it from the real thing – it can require forensic techniques to determine technical details such as the number of stitches per inch in a seam (often a trade secret) or <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2013/01/01/how-to-spot-a-fake-designer-handbag/">date markers and serial numbers</a> to determine the genuine article.</p>
<p>It’s safe to surmise a Rolex on sale for £50 is a fake. But a Rolex resold for £1,000, complete with papers and box, is a different matter. Documentation such as certificate and warranty with serial numbers, and <a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/fake-or-genuine-how-to-spot-a-real-luxury-watch">purchasing only from authorised dealers</a> is the best way to avoid getting scammed. The only sure method is for a watchmaker to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcwebertobias/2012/09/19/how-to-buy-a-fake-watch-in-turkey/">examine the watch’s internal mechanism</a> as this will be <a href="http://www.timelessluxwatches.com/reviews/real-problem-fake-watches">almost impossible for the scammers to fake</a>. In general, <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336727/Ebay-conman-Amit-Sharma-34-weeps-hes-sent-prison.html">exercise caution when buying luxury products from online marketplaces</a> such as eBay or Amazon, rather than from trusted dealers and retailers. And always remember that if a bargain seems too good to be true, it probably is.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70606/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mehzeb Chowdhury does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Counterfeit goods could be the Christmas bargains that cost you dearly.Mehzeb Chowdhury, PhD Researcher in Forensic Science & Criminal Investigations, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/598462016-08-29T14:37:54Z2016-08-29T14:37:54ZWest Africans ditch Dutch wax prints for Chinese ‘real-fakes’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135477/original/image-20160825-6614-t83xti.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Togolese fabric markets are increasingly stocked with low-cost Chinese reproductions</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Koko Masseme</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the early 20th century, <a href="https://www.vlisco.com/">Vlisco</a> has produced African print cloth – otherwise known as Dutch wax prints. This vibrantly coloured and intricately patterned fabric dominates West African markets and is globally recognised as quintessentially “African”. </p>
<p>Ironically, this iconic bold cloth was originally forged by Dutch colonial companies attempting to mechanically reproduce handmade Javanese batik cloth. When this failed to take off in Southeast Asia, Dutch traders began to sell the cloth in West African markets. The patterns were modified to fit local tastes and quickly became popular. </p>
<p>The rise of mass-produced, Dutch wax prints partially displaced domestic textiles, which lacked the colourfastness and material lightness that ultimately made wax prints an essential everyday consumer good.</p>
<p>But this is not where the story ends. Today, the majority of Dutch designs available on African markets are low-cost reproductions made in China. The entry of these Chinese textiles has upset Dutch and local producers of “authentic” wax prints. </p>
<p>These producers are trying to protect their hold on the market by appealing to ideas of “originality” and legal notions of “authenticity”. But consumers are more interested in the quality and look of the cloth, and the way it reflects the wearer’s taste and status.</p>
<h2>New market players undercut originals</h2>
<p>Hitarget is the market leader among Chinese upstart brands. It is a thorn in the side of a number of competitors. These include the Dutch company Vlisco as well as the Nigeria and Ghana-based manufacturers of popular African print brands like GTP, ATL, ABC, Nichemtex or Uniwax. The majority of Hitarget patterns are “original” Dutch designs to which Vlisco claims legal and technical rights. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135481/original/image-20160825-6618-1hu1bx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135481/original/image-20160825-6618-1hu1bx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135481/original/image-20160825-6618-1hu1bx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135481/original/image-20160825-6618-1hu1bx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135481/original/image-20160825-6618-1hu1bx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135481/original/image-20160825-6618-1hu1bx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135481/original/image-20160825-6618-1hu1bx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Vlisco is the ‘original’ producer of African print fabrics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Koko Masseme</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over the past decade, Vlisco has repeatedly taken legal action by seizing counterfeit cloth. This strategy has had limited results. </p>
<p>More recently, the company has adopted an alternative, equally ineffective, response to the issue. In September 2014, Vlisco launched a major brand protection campaign in its African fashion markets, entitled <a href="http://about.vlisco.com/product-identification/">Connoisseurs of Style</a>. </p>
<p>The Vlisco Connoisseurs of Style web guide is designed to help female consumers identify the brand’s markers of authenticity. These include a trademarked monogram, an encrypted bar code, a label, a design number, and the word marks “Guaranteed Dutch Wax Vlisco/Véritable Wax Hollandais Vlisco” printed on the cloth’s selvedge. </p>
<p>These signs mark the fabric as authentic according to the legal regimes that underpin the ideas of originality and brand ownership. But on the ground, attitudes towards authenticity are quite different.</p>
<h2>Consumer standards and attitudes</h2>
<p>In my <a href="http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo25126083.html">research</a> in Lomé (Togo), once the largest textile market for Dutch wax prints in West Africa, I found that consumer evaluations of copies rarely match legal evaluations. Copies are technically pirates according to International Property law. But to buyers they can be both authentic and inauthentic, real and fake.</p>
<p>As anthropologist Elizabeth Vann notes <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/3804791?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">in her work</a> on Vietnamese real-fake goods, the categories of brand ownership and the intellectual property rules that uphold them cannot be taken for granted everywhere. </p>
<p>Just like consumers of the global North, Togolese desire affordable goods and willingly buy copies and counterfeits. Some copies have become investment pieces that generate sensations of desire and pride and necessitate cultural expertise to successfully choose and purchase. </p>
<p>Others, however, are considered faux or bad and are not valued as highly. Good copies do not betray consumers, whereas bad or fake copies have the power to expose the unsavvy.</p>
<p>Instead of relying on labels and techno-signs of authenticity as per the Vlisco style guide, Togolese turn to the cloth’s material properties to establish its worth. Value is ascribed through the senses, by touching, smelling or even tasting the cloth.</p>
<p>Hitarget has become especially popular among younger consumers due to its affordability and high-quality thread count, colour palette, and design precision. Expert fashionistas can distinguish Hitarget from Vlisco by mere sight. Some even consider Hitarget to be “better” than the “authentic” print.</p>
<p>Even more amazing is the fact that Hitarget has recently also fallen victim to counterfeiting, making the distinction between real copies and real-fake even more challenging. </p>
<p>In Togo, societal norms of ascribing value to fakes and copies are at odds with global regulatory regimes that are based on a specific proprietary relationship between authorship and ownership. </p>
<h2>Roots of intellectual property</h2>
<p>In a world where most things are produced with some level of human collaboration, intellectual property law inevitably raises complex questions about what constitutes “authorship” and “invention”.</p>
<p>Intellectual property law essentially manages the slippery tension between private ownership and the public domain – the “commons”. It does this by granting temporary private ownership rights for a fixed term, after which the rights fall back into the public domain.</p>
<p>Copyrights, patents and trademarks – the basic tools of intellectual property law – are firmly rooted in 18th-century liberal thought. Rights were created to manage the conversion of ideas into property – with accompanying rights that could be protected, licensed, and ultimately turned into money.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, to secure financial returns corporations push for extended rights of intellectual property so that their inventions, words and trademarks can be asserted and licensed as legal rights. It is in this way that they are converted into profits in competitive global markets.</p>
<p>They may also, as Vlisco did, create new markers of authenticity so that their intellectual property claims are recognised by consumers. </p>
<p>The historical twists and turns in the European and Chinese reproduction of African print cloth challenges the very idea and practice of intellectual property rights. After all, who legitimately creates and who illegitimately appropriates?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/59846/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nina Sylvanus does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.</span></em></p>Togolese consumers are increasingly choosing Chinese replicas over ‘authentic’ Dutch wax prints. Their choice raises fundamental questions about the notion of intellectual property.Nina Sylvanus, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Northeastern UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/439652015-07-27T10:02:30Z2015-07-27T10:02:30ZHas Taylor Swift finally figured out how to shake off Chinese counterfeits?<p>Last week, JD.com and Alibaba, the two largest online retailers in China, <a href="http://ir.jd.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=253315&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2069059">announced</a> their deals to sell authentic merchandise associated with Taylor Swift. JD.com will also market an exclusive <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/taylor-swift-counters-knockoffs-in-china-1437492360">fashion line</a> that the singer will design for the Chinese market.</p>
<p>After having <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/22/entertainment/taylor-swift-apple-feat/">criticized</a> the music streaming services provided by Spotify and <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-apples-new-music-streaming-service-will-mean-for-underpaid-songwriters-42230">Apple Music</a>, Swift again finds herself at the center of the intellectual property debate. This time, the debate turns to a country notorious for being a knockoff haven.</p>
<p>Will her new arrangements with JD.com and Alibaba finally solve the massive counterfeiting problem in China? What are their strengths, and what are their limitations? Should other celebrities follow her lead to fend off Chinese infringers? </p>
<h2>What these deals can achieve</h2>
<p>Swift’s deals with JD.com and Alibaba can provide at least five main benefits. First, the dedicated online channels will provide a means of <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2015-07/23/content_21384814.htm">authentication</a>. They will send important signals to the public about where to purchase official goods. Gone is the tired excuse of not knowing where to shop for authentic merchandise in China.</p>
<p>These channels will also help those who have difficulty distinguishing between counterfeits and legitimate products as well as those who <a href="http://blogs.barrons.com/asiastocks/2015/07/21/jd-com-peddles-its-u-s-mall-with-taylor-swift-at-plaza-hotel-event/">fear</a> to shop online. Although many of us frequently buy from Amazon and eBay, both of which were launched about two decades ago, e-commerce did not <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/western-firms-caught-off-guard-as-chinese-shoppers-flock-to-web-1434274202">take off</a> in China until the mid-2000s.</p>
<p>Second, the dedicated channels will enable Swift’s Chinese fans to develop a direct relationship with the singer. Many “Swifties” no longer find it enough to listen to her CDs and go to <a href="http://taylorswift.com/news/253073">her concerts</a>; they also want to have her style and wear clothes designed by her. By getting music fans to buy products directly from authentic sources, the channels will educate customers about the importance of intellectual property protection.</p>
<p>Third, Swift’s deals will increase her leverage in demanding response and expedited action should counterfeiting problems arise. JD.com and Alibaba may also consider taking preemptive anti-counterfeiting measures to keep the singer happy.</p>
<p>After all, if she is disappointed by the high volume of knockoffs found on their websites, she may stop selling products there. Any benefits the online retailers will gain from selling Swift-related counterfeits will be quickly offset by the loss of sales of authentic merchandise associated with not just the singer but also potentially other celebrities.</p>
<p>Fourth, the recent deals will help Swift obtain stronger protection for her merchandise on websites owned by JD.com and Alibaba. Although the official merchandise will be sold in Alibaba’s highly popular TMall, that company also runs Taobao, which reportedly has been filled with counterfeits related to the singer.</p>
<p>Cooperation is important because policing online networks can <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-11-29/ebay-wins-round-against-tiffany-as-high-court-rejects-appeal">cost</a> tens of millions of dollars. Determining which listing contains fake items and which does not is also difficult. Thus, by showing her willingness to cooperate, Swift has taken a highly welcome approach to working proactively with Chinese online retailers to combat counterfeiting.</p>
<p>Instead of relying on the stick, which foreign <a href="https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2015-Special-301-Report-FINAL.pdf">governments</a> and businesses are known to use, the deals can serve as the much-needed carrot to get Chinese retailers to work harder to remove unauthorized merchandise. They will also help avoid the “bad blood” that usually develops following the use of strong-armed tactics.</p>
<p>Finally, the deals will send useful signals to other websites, especially those filled with knockoffs related to the singer. The hidden message is clear: if you are willing to clean up your act, you may also be able to get business from Swift and perhaps other major celebrities. Given the size of the growing celebrity-driven market, such a message will have considerable persuasive power.</p>
<h2>What these deals will not do</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, Swift’s deals with JD.com and Alibaba can solve only part of the massive counterfeiting problem in China.</p>
<p>Not everybody is willing to pay the full price for authentic products. Some cannot afford them. Some do not think they are worth the sticker price. And some are just content with buying low-quality knockoffs at much lower prices.</p>
<p>The problem with the counterfeiting debate – whether about China or elsewhere – is our tendency to lump the different types of counterfeit purchaser together. We also assume that counterfeits will be indistinguishable from the originals.</p>
<p>In a place with a massive counterfeiting problem such as China, consumers have become quite sophisticated in distinguishing products. If they buy counterfeits, they often know what they are getting into – just like those shopping in a dollar store.</p>
<p>To further complicate matters, most products are now made in China, and the production cost is a small fraction of the retail price. If any of these products are unfortunately leaked to the market without the right holder’s authorization – for example, when <a href="http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/05/01/8375455/index.htm">unlicensed extras</a> have been made through a widely dreaded “ghost shift” – those low-priced, unlicensed products will have the same quality as the licensed ones.</p>
<p>It is therefore understandable why some Chinese consumers are so eager to buy counterfeits, especially given the significant price differences. If they are lucky enough, they may even find unlicensed goods made in the same factory using the same raw materials.</p>
<h2>Challenging questions remain</h2>
<p>In sum, there are still many challenging questions concerning how celebrities can protect their intellectual property in China. There are also business-driven reasons that are unrelated to intellectual property protection. </p>
<p>For example, did Swift reach the recent deals in part to ensure the success of her upcoming tour in China? Was cooperation with local companies badly needed given that the tour’s title, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/11755679/Taylor-Swift-Chinese-clothing-line-with-TS-and-1989-touches-Tiananmen-Square-nerve.html">1989</a>, reminds people of the massive student protests in Tiananmen Square?</p>
<p>Regardless, Taylor Swift has certainly gone in the right direction when she agreed to team up with JD.com and Alibaba to provide authentic merchandise. Other celebrities are well-advised to follow her proactive, partner-based approach to protect their intellectual property in China.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/43965/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter K. Yu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The singer-songwriter has signed deals with two Chinese retailers to sell authentic merchandise in the country in hopes of stemming the tide of knockoffs.Peter K. Yu, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Law and Intellectual Property , Texas A&M UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/403612015-04-22T10:04:08Z2015-04-22T10:04:08ZInvisible fluorescent ink opens new frontier in fight against counterfeiting<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78852/original/image-20150422-9051-mutnu2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fluorescent security ink produces multicolor barcode visible under UV light.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stoddart Group</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Counterfeiting gives brand owners major headaches. Companies lose sales and governments lose tax income. Resulting costs to businesses of counterfeit and pirated products add up to as much as <a href="http://www.iccwbo.org/Data/Documents/Bascap/Global-Impacts-Study-Full-Report/">US$650 billion a year</a> worldwide, according to the International Chamber of Commerce.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78843/original/image-20150421-9051-ognfxs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78843/original/image-20150421-9051-ognfxs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78843/original/image-20150421-9051-ognfxs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78843/original/image-20150421-9051-ognfxs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78843/original/image-20150421-9051-ognfxs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78843/original/image-20150421-9051-ognfxs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78843/original/image-20150421-9051-ognfxs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78843/original/image-20150421-9051-ognfxs.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">100 Euro bill under UV light.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:100euro-uv.JPG">European Central Bank</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Scientists and engineers have developed many techniques in the fight against counterfeiters. You might have one example in your pocket right now – the banknotes we use almost every day are produced using special paper, with watermarks, holograms, glossy strips and many other security features. When we hand a large-denomination bill to a cashier, they usually look at it under an ultraviolet lamp to check whether it’s genuine or fake. Under this light, one can see a color image that’s not visible in plain sunlight. Lights that glow under a UV lamp are said to be fluorescent or luminescent. Similar fluorescent tags on our driver’s licenses and passports are also designed to glow under ultraviolet light.</p>
<p>Although these fluorescent materials have been implemented widely in order to protect high-value merchandise, government documents and banknotes, they have a weakness: once their recipes are familiar to counterfeiters, they can be mimicked rather easily.</p>
<p>Now <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7884">we’ve invented next-generation fluorescent inks</a> that will present a formidable challenge to counterfeiters. Images printed from these new inks display colors that depend on a type of built-in “molecular encryption” and become visible only when viewed under ultraviolet light. Each user can select his own ink recipes, so even we the inventors will not be able to mimic the protected fluorescent tag. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78828/original/image-20150421-9051-h3d6s0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78828/original/image-20150421-9051-h3d6s0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78828/original/image-20150421-9051-h3d6s0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=126&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78828/original/image-20150421-9051-h3d6s0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=126&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78828/original/image-20150421-9051-h3d6s0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=126&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78828/original/image-20150421-9051-h3d6s0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78828/original/image-20150421-9051-h3d6s0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78828/original/image-20150421-9051-h3d6s0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Representation of a heterorotaxane.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stoddart Group</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Creating the ink</h2>
<p>This new ink has its roots in a serendipitous discovery we made when trying to make a fluorescent molecule that would contain some ring-shaped molecules. Unexpectedly, we isolated a compound – known as heterorotaxane – which has become our invisible ink’s active ingredient. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78647/original/image-20150420-25694-1i84c3a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78647/original/image-20150420-25694-1i84c3a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78647/original/image-20150420-25694-1i84c3a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=252&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78647/original/image-20150420-25694-1i84c3a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=252&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78647/original/image-20150420-25694-1i84c3a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=252&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78647/original/image-20150420-25694-1i84c3a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78647/original/image-20150420-25694-1i84c3a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78647/original/image-20150420-25694-1i84c3a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">a) Van Gogh’s Sunflower printed using our b) fluorescent ink under ultraviolet light and c) sunlight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>On its own, the heterorotaxane glows dark-red under ultraviolet light. But its unusual arrangement of molecules can be interrupted by adding a sugar, namely cyclodextrin, which is derived from cornstarch. Depending on how much cyclodextrin we add and how it interacts with the heterorotaxane, we can adjust our ink to give different fluorescent colors along a spectrum of red to yellow to green. </p>
<p>On a molecular level, the colorless heterorotaxane interacts with the other components of the ink. It selectively encapsulates some parts and prevents other molecules from sticking to one another – ultimately causing a change in color that is somewhat difficult to predict. This is a level of complexity not seen before in anti-counterfeiting tools.</p>
<p>Our inks are similar to the proprietary formulations of soft drinks. One could approximate their flavor using other ingredients, but it would be impossible to match the flavor exactly without a precise knowledge of the recipe.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78641/original/image-20150420-25725-g3ummz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78641/original/image-20150420-25725-g3ummz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78641/original/image-20150420-25725-g3ummz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78641/original/image-20150420-25725-g3ummz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78641/original/image-20150420-25725-g3ummz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78641/original/image-20150420-25725-g3ummz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78641/original/image-20150420-25725-g3ummz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78641/original/image-20150420-25725-g3ummz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fluorescent inks change color under ultraviolet light when printed on different paperstocks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stoddart Group</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Not only that, the fluorescent ink is also sensitive to the surface on which it’s applied. For example, an ink blend that appears orange on standard copy paper appears as green on newspaper. This phenomenon means that this new type of fluorescent ink can be used to identify different papers.</p>
<h2>Encrypting and authenticating</h2>
<p>Think about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encryption">encryption processes</a> in computer science. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptography">Cryptography algorithms</a> protect the original information and transform the data into a set of “random” information that gets decoded by a recipient.</p>
<p>Our fluorescent inks work in a similar way. The “molecular encryption” process involves picking a set of color-changing agents and playing around with their relative proportions. Users can set their parameters, thus generating thousands of color combinations via different settings. The individual secret ink recipe can be printed out via ordinary ink jet printer onto a label or other tag. It’s impossible to reverse engineer the process without comprehensive knowledge of the encryption settings. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78644/original/image-20150420-25694-1cpqqlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78644/original/image-20150420-25694-1cpqqlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78644/original/image-20150420-25694-1cpqqlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78644/original/image-20150420-25694-1cpqqlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78644/original/image-20150420-25694-1cpqqlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78644/original/image-20150420-25694-1cpqqlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78644/original/image-20150420-25694-1cpqqlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78644/original/image-20150420-25694-1cpqqlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fluorescent security ink can have a specific – and unfakeable – fingerprint.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stoddart Group</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That’s how the information is encoded in the fluorescent dye. But it also has to be verified in some way in order to validate an object as legitimate or counterfeit.</p>
<p>We’ve developed an authentication mechanism that can verify the information within a preexisting image printed using the fluorescent inks. One simply sprays or wipes an authentication indicator over the printed image. While inks with different formulations may appear to be the same color, they will respond very differently when an authentication indicator molecule, such as cyclodextrin, is applied. There’s a large library of authentication indicators that can result in different color changes. This authentication mechanism is a result of the complex molecular interactions among the ink ingredients, so that even if a counterfeiter is able to mimic the original fluorescent color, it will be nigh impossible to replicate the color change during the authentication process.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78842/original/image-20150421-9038-1gd0rl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78842/original/image-20150421-9038-1gd0rl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78842/original/image-20150421-9038-1gd0rl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78842/original/image-20150421-9038-1gd0rl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78842/original/image-20150421-9038-1gd0rl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78842/original/image-20150421-9038-1gd0rl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78842/original/image-20150421-9038-1gd0rl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78842/original/image-20150421-9038-1gd0rl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Legit or phony? Get out your authenticating wipes and UV light.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/qiaomeng/597433766">Simon A</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>So here’s how it works from start to finish. A luxury manufacturer would pick a secret setting for its proprietary ink. The company would print out a tag for each handbag, for instance, using the ink invisible under normal light. Then each boutique owner or end consumer that buys the products can view the printed tag under UV light to make sure it matches up with the color they’re expecting. And they can also wipe an authentication swab over it to confirm that the changes that come from that particular combination of authenticating molecules and printed ink are identical to what the manufacturer has told them they should see. Counterfeiters will be out of luck since essentially this process can’t be mimicked.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40361/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fraser Stoddart is affiliated with Northwestern University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chenfeng Ke is affiliated with Northwestern University. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Xisen Hou does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Invisible under normal light but fluorescent under UV light, this ink can print out unique signatures that use ‘molecular encryption’ to authenticate anything they tag.Fraser Stoddart, Professor of Chemistry, Northwestern UniversityChenfeng Ke, Postdoctoral Fellow in Chemistry, Northwestern UniversityXisen Hou, PhD Student in Chemistry, Northwestern UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.