European Coatings Conference
"Fighting Fakes - Coatings for Anti-Counterfeiting"
Oktober 30th - 31th 2008 / Berlin, Germany

Product counterfeiting has become a major economic threat. According to a 2007 OECD study on the economic impact of counterfeiting and piracy, international trade in counterfeited and pirated products could have been up to USD 200 billion in 2005 – not including domestically produced and consumed products. As the report points out, this is of course a major concern for the original producers of such pirated goods, up to the point that it can counteract innovation. But not only producers are affected: Counterfeited products usually are substandard in quality and can even be dangerous for the consumer, posing health and safety risks that range from mild to life-threatening.

Since long, coatings and surface technologies have been a very important part of the activities to counteract such fraud. Still, there has also always been a technological race of anti-counterfeiting technology against counterfeiter’s capabilities. But in recent times, it looks as if the right side may finally win, with promises of novel, intrinsically secure technologies, helping producers track and identify their products easily and with certainty, and helping customers not to buy plagiates unconsciously. But how far have these new developments come yet? And are they economically viable?

As a premiere within the series of the European Coatings Conferences, the European Coatings Conference "Fighting Fakes – Coatings for Anti-Counterfeiting" is addressing these questions, with a close look on most recent developments in this rapidly evolving field, offering a forum to discuss their practical applicability. 13 high-level technical presentations will be delivered by invited international experts from industry and academia, making you familiar with their latest research results, and facing up to your critical questioning of these results.

A common feature of all European Coatings Conferences, interactive focus workshops on specific technologies and specific market sectors will provide valuable additional opportunities for an intense exchange of information.

Rounding off the event, the Pre-Conference Tutorial “Fundamentals of Anticounterfeiting” will update your knowledge on the established technologies that currently are in use in anti-counterfeiting.

Do not miss this premiere – see you in Berlin!