Anti-counterfeiting technology: news in brief

Technology updates from Invengo, Global Closure Systems, NanoMatriX, Thermo and Applied DNA Sciences.

Chinese radiofrequency identification (RFID) specialist Invengo officially launched its XC-TF8033 security label outside for the first time at the RFID Journal Live event earlier this month. The tamper-resistant labels are already in use in China for the authentication of whisky, wine and tobacco products. They have been optimised for use on plastic wine bottle caps, paper documents, paper boxes and glass items and according to Invengo provide "excellent data read and write performance, maximum application flexibility and cost effectiveness."

Global Closure Systems' UCP unit in the UK has launched a low-cost anti-counterfeit bottle cap called TIVA2 for use by premium beverage manufacturers. The closure prevents refilling of genuine bottles with fake contents - a common tactic used by counterfeiters - and features a tamper-evidence ring that breaks off if forced removal from the bottle is attempted.  The company claims the cap also provides a smooth pour to meet the demands of the bartenders, "who prefer a sub-75 second time to empty a 70cl bottle of spirits," says the company. In addition, the closure's non-drip feature prevents spilling of alcohol from the bottle when pouring into a glass.

This year's Hong Kong Rugby Sevens went off without a single case of counterfeiting, according to document protection specialist NanoMatriX which for the last three years has supplied the authentication technology used to prevent fake tickets being used to enter the stadium. Three years ago around 5 percent of tickets in circulation were counterfeit. All told, around 120,000 fans visited the event this year, the 40th anniversary of the competition. 

Applied DNA Sciences has been awarded a US patent that it says will strengthen its intellectual property in the area of covert markers. The patent - on optical reporter compositions - covers light-emitting reporters that can be linked to biomolecules such as nucleotide oligomers. The patent is a continuation of a previously-granted patent with broader claims, according to APDN. Benjamin Liang, the company's chief scientific officer, said: "This patent demonstrates our continuous effort in developing new line of field-readable forensic markers. When coupled with our in-field multimode readers, on-site authentication has become a reality."

Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has taken delivery of two TruScan handheld spectrometers to help its efforts to disrupt the trade in counterfeit and substandard medicines. One of the devices - sold by Thermo - will be deployed at the country's largest shipping port at Tema, with the other used as needed by FDA officials.