Innovation of the Week

Innovation of the week: The counterfeit catcher

Never be fooled by a fake again

byThe Week Staff

January 10, 2015

.polaris__post-meta--date { display: none; } .polaris__post-meta--date.no-script { display: block; padding-left: 45px } January 10, 2015

Innovation of the week: The counterfeit catcher

Never be fooled by a fake again, said Takashi Mochizuki at The Wall Street Journal. Japan's NEC has developed software that lets users spot counterfeit products "with the discreet click of a smartphone camera button." The system uses a pattern recognition system to scan and analyze the tiniest of details in the products' surface patterns and compare them with an online database of luxury goods — just like a fingerprint. NEC hopes retailers will use the system to discern knockoffs more quickly and cheaply.