Flint Ink Corporation and KeyMaster Technologies, Inc., a leader in the field of counterfeit prevention and brand protection, have announced an agreement to provide “smart” ink and coatings systems to brand-name product manufacturers throughout the world.
    
The inks and coatings developed under this alliance will contain a hidden code that creates a unique signature tag when they are applied to products or packaging. Licensed brand owners use these security inks, in conjunction with KeyMaster’s readers, to track and authenticate their products.
    
The agreement sets the foundation for a long-term relationship between the companies to provide brand protection and anti-counterfeiting solutions. According to Dr. Bruce Kaiser, KeyMaster’s chief technology officer, the technology can insure the integrity of a brand product by tagging any combination of the product, package or label materials.
    
As an example, he noted that perfumes are highly susceptible to counterfeiting. “A fragrance can now be tagged prior to its use in a perfume. With additional tags used on labels and packaging, each element of the brand is protected, as is the total brand package.”
    
“Most experts agree that 5 percent or more of the world’s economy is traded in counterfeit goods,” added Mr. Kaiser. “In addition to the obvious loss of revenue and increased liability for brand owners, counterfeiting and unauthorized distribution can significantly damage the value of a brand in the eyes of the consumer. By working together, we believe that Flint Ink and KeyMaster can quickly provide effective product authentication solutions to brand owners.”
    
“With the increase in counterfeiting and diversion of brand name products on a worldwide basis, many of our customers are looking for an effective means to authenticate their products and protect their brands,” said Leonard Walle, director of new business development for Flint Ink. “We conducted a search of brand authentication technologies and concluded that KeyMaster provides the best tagging security solution for our customers. KeyMaster’s technology will enable Flint Ink to produce world-leading security inks and coatings for a wide range of product applications.”
    
“Product and brand security is very important to product manufacturers in an expanding global economy, and Keymaster’s technology offers a unique and effective solution to this need,” added Steve D’Angelo, director of marketing, packaging division, Flint Ink North America.