BMW turns to Kurz Scribos for security label

Spare parts for BMW vehicles will now carry a security label to help customers avoid inadvertently using counterfeits.

The label, developed for BMW by Germany's Kurz Scribos, has been specifically designed to protect original spare parts and is described as "the first digitally verifiable hologram strip on the market."

It combines a hologram with multi-layered security elements, including microtext and covert markers, which Kurz Scribos maintains are detectable only with expert verification tools, along with an authentication app intended for use by "only authorised professionals."

Counterfeit automotive spare parts not only infringe intellectual property rights but also endanger lives by compromising the safety and reliability of vehicles, according to the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Investigations have shown that the majority of these counterfeit goods originate from outside Europe, with China (94 per cent) and Hong Kong (5 per cent) being the primary sources.

"The digitally verifiable hologram strip will help safeguard the BMW Group’s extensive global spare parts network, which includes more than 40 million parts in circulation," said Kurz Scribos in a statement. "This high-security feature can only be verified by trained experts using a dedicated authentication app, ensuring an additional layer of protection against counterfeiting."