Abstract:
Barcodes and 2D codes are used in just about any area of product marking. Now, individual marking of discrete product items is also playing an increasingly important role for industry and consumers. The keyword is serialization. It complements the conventional classification or type designation of a product, consisting of article number and further article information, by item-unique numbering.
But beware of misconceptions: item-unique numbering does not ensure that the item in your hands is an original product. Only in combination with authenticity features can a system be comprehensively protected against fraud, misuse and counterfeiting. This article describes the possibilities and limits of codes and their standards, as well as available options to protect item-unique markings from counterfeiting.