We create human-friendly solutions
PROTECTING CONSUMERS, BRANDS AND PRODUCERS FOR QUALITY CONSUMPTION AND REVENUE ENHANCEMENT
We protect people and brands.
We protect consumers by making it easy to distinguish originals from fakes – and safeguard brand and product originality in the process. We see ourselves as protectors of people’s health and guardians of product originality.
Easy set-up with maximum compatibility
As Guardians of authenticity, we think of anti-counterfeiting differently, so that everyone can use it, in any corner of the world, at any time. We give everyone and every company access to counterfeit protection, free of charge and with no barriers to entry. To do this, we use existing infrastructures such as conventional printers to print out the authentic.code and standard smartphones to scan the code. The scan is possible offline from anywhere – even under water.
High-safety counterfeit protection
To keep it secure, counterfeit-proof and yet simple, we work with a wide range of behind-the-scenes technologies. Our patented cryptographic printing process turns conventional printersinto security printers. The blockchain connects an unassailable physical code with an ambiguous digital twin and secures it one hundred percent. A KI determines usage patterns, makes them analyzable and detects attacks at an early stage in order to eliminate them independently. This eliminates the possibility of contaminated codes. The combination makes counterfeit protection easier and more secure than ever before.
Flexible business scaling
Counterfeiting reduces company sales by 13 trillion EUR every year. authentic protects you and your brand from these economic losses and reputation damage. Once your product is protected, you can extend it with digital services. This way you give your customers maximum transparency to further strengthen your company’s reputation. Your customer has never been closer to your brand than with authentic!
EXTERNAL THREATS AND CHALLENGES
Rapid technological advancement: Counterfeiters continue to work hard to remain ahead of ACA and continue their trading activities. They are increasingly leveraging technology in various ways including to replicate the marks of quality or to make not easily detectable changes to products’ chemical composition. This makes it difficult to distinguish counterfeits from original products especially among consumers.
Poor inter-agency coordination and collaboration in the fight against illicit trade: A number of state agencies have closely-related mandates to ACA’s but despite this there is less than desired coordination and collaboration between these agencies, hurting the overall effectiveness of the battle against illicit trade. At a regional, legal frameworks are incongruent with each other making it difficult for the authorities in the region to effectively collaborate. There is also inadequate intelligence sharing between various regional and global counterfeiting agencies.
Corruption and the porosity of our borders: Despite various government agencies having offices and personnel at key border points, counterfeit goods still find their way into local markets. This can be attributed majorly to corruption.
Pervasive consumer attitude towards counterfeits: Counterfeit markets continue to thrive partly because of inadequate awareness but majorly because of a reluctance to purchase the more expensive original goods. This is especially the case in instances where the dangers do not outweigh the perceived benefits of purchasing a counterfeit good. The problem can be seen across the income spectrum and is not unique to low-income earners as commonly assumed.
An unpredictable policy environment: There are discussions to merge the Authority with other complementary agencies. Recently, the Authority was pushed out of the port of Mombasa after importers complained about the delays caused by the excessive checks. Power battles between ministries often result in state agencies being moved from one ministry to another. These are responsible for the creation of an unfavourable working environment.
Rising E-commerce trade: The growth of online trade has further complicated tracking the sale and distribution of counterfeit goods within the country. The use of such sites as Jumia; Olx; and Masoko is growing especially as internet access becomes more ubiquitous and these sites expand their geographical coverage.
Negative perception of ACA: There are stakeholders that see the Authority as an inhibitor of trade rather than a promoter of fair trade. This may be attributed to a poor understanding of ACA’s work and mandate as well as the damaging effect of counterfeits on economic development. Greater efforts to change this negative perception are necessary for the Authority to go about its work with less opposition.