Preventing Counterfeiting: Challenges and Selection Criteria For an Ideal Authentication Solution

摘要

The counterfeiting and cloning of devices and peripherals are major concerns for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). These concerns grow when manufacturing is outsourced to offshore Contract Manufacturers (CMs) or even to multiple CMs, which can make it almost impossible to protect the intellectual property (IP) and prevent the unauthorized production of gray market products and peripherals. Legitimate suppliers not only suffer direct revenue losses, but also lose brand reputation if a product is damaged as the result of using cloned peripherals, and may even incur high liability costs. Another problem OEMs face is that many new products are subsidized when introduced to the market, with the intent of profiting on sustained after-market sale of accessories and add-ons to recover the initial investment. This business model is often followed with such products as accessories for game consoles, mobile devices and printer cartridges. Cloning poses a serious threat to this business model; unauthorized accessories can even create a hazard risk to the end-users that increase the potential liability costs and damage OEMs’ brand reputation. Tamper-and counterfeit-resistant peripherals not only protect OEMs’ brand image and liability, but also protect consumers by assuring the integrity of the entire system and creating the intended user experience.