IP Australia and the National Rugby League (NRL) are trialing a new app created to help online shoppers determine if a product is authentic or not.

The Trust Badge anti-counterfeit app is now being piloted on two of the NRL’s official online merchandise stores namely NRL Shop and Savvy Supporter. The NRL is Australia’s top men’s rugby club competition, with merchandise stores selling jerseys, training shorts, jackets, hoodies, and others for NRL fans including kids.

The Trust Badge is an initiative of IP Australia’s Smart Trade Mark. The app provides visual proof of an authentic product by linking an online store to a registered trademark. It shows details about the trademark to verify the website.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the anti-counterfeit app could be a great tool in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy which is projected to drain US$4.2 trillion from the global economy and put 5.4 million jobs at risk by 2022.

“Particularly in the current ‘Covid-19 world,’ even more consumers are shopping online. Unfortunately, this can increase the risk that consumers may purchase counterfeit goods unknowingly,” said Nick Holmes, principal and trademark attorney at Davies Collison Cave in Melbourne. “As such, any steps which seek to reduce or eliminate sale of counterfeit products online are most welcome.”

Smart Trade Mark is a tool promoting consumer confidence in Australian brands by distinguishing authentic and licensed products and services from counterfeit items sold in e-commerce sites. The platform enables trademark owners to prove they are the real owners of the mark by connecting them digitally to the government register. As such, they are better able to authenticate their products and services, the places where they are being sold and their supply chains. Smart Trade Mark uses blockchain technology and Application Programing Interfaces.

“This app could be used across a range of Australian-made products and is a great example of how new technologies can be applied in very practical ways to grow the economy and create local jobs,” said Andrews.

“In a general sense, blockchain technology is reasonably safe and reliable although no technology is ever 100% foolproof,” said Holmes.

“The biggest concern with any technology is that it is only as reliable as a data is entered into it. If that data is itself incorrect or out of date, that will be replicated in the blockchain technology,” he added.

“Australian products are in demand around the world, thanks to our reputation for quality,” said Andrews, “and the government will do everything we can to help our businesses protect themselves.”

Holmes sees similar anti-counterfeit apps being developed especially during this pandemic when more consumers are relying on the online space for their purchases. He believes specialist providers such as Laava, Cypheme, Selikno, Fakeguard, Adfirmia, SixTrue and ZealSeal are the ones more likely to create similar anti-counterfeiting apps.

“It is somewhat unusual for a national IP office to provide this kind of online activity, which is more often provided by specialist party providers. That said, IP Australia is commended for its contribution to try and address counterfeit activity in Australia, particularly if it were matched by a consumer education program,” said Holmes.

“Many online marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon and others also provide efficient and reliable ‘takedown’ verification services which greatly reduce the risk of counterfeit goods being sold on those marketplaces. The development and use of such services and related anti-counterfeiting apps will become even more important over time, to protect the reliability of online marketplaces and reduce the proliferation of counterfeit goods online,” Holmes added.

For more information on The Trust Badge and Smart Trade Mark, click here.

Espie Angelica A. de Leon