Secure Authentication of Products for Everyone

Project Information

SECURE QR CODE

Grant agreement ID: 190143920

DOI

10.3030/190143920

Project closed

EC signature date 21 March 2023

Start date 1 May 2023

End date 31 January 2025

Funded under

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Total cost

€ 3 447 672,50

EU contribution

€ 2 349 375,00

Coordinated by

SCANTRUST BV
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SECURE QR CODE (Secure Authentication of Products for Everyone)

Reporting period: 2024-02-01 to 2025-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Scantrust has invented and patented a solution to counterfeiting based on a Secure QR Code, named
SQRCode. Unlike a regular QR Code which can easily be duplicated, the SQRCode has native, intrinsic protection against copy. This
is thanks to our invention of a secure graphic which is inserted in the QR Code digital image and designed to be optimally sensitive
to copy attempts through leveraging the imperfections of the printing process. Indeed, if the secure graphic is printed or copied, it
will lose information through dot gain and ink smearing; when a copy is made by a counterfeiter, even if the scan is perfect, there
will be an unavoidable additional information loss during the print of the copy. A smartphone scan of the SQRCode allows to
measure the information present in the secure graphic, and provides any user a real-time response on the authenticity of the
product.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Contrarily to regular QR Codes, Scantrust SQRCodes have built-in protection against copying, such that a smartphone scan will
reveal whether they are real or fake. Our Secure QR Codes were invented by our founder, who has worked for the last 22 years on
copy detection technologies. Over the last 9 years, Scantrust has improved its core technology by developing increasingly
sophisticated machine learning authentication technologies and broadened the set of mobile phones that can be used for
authentication. In addition, Scantrust has developed a whole suite of integration tools in partnership with brand owners and
packaging printers who wish to integrate the authentication technology.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Scantrust’s patented innovation, the Secure QR Code, makes use of the ubiquitous QR code, usage of which is well-integrated into
business practice. It addresses one key drawback of QR Code, which is that they offer natively no protection against copy.
Scantrust does so with a solution that can be integrated without any modification to existing production processes, nor the need
for additional material or inks. No special equipment is needed to verify the QR Code authenticity, as potentially any smartphone
can be used. Besides offering real-time authentication, the data collected from the authentication made by consumers or supply
chain operators is captured and analyzed in real-time, and automatically informs brand owners or enforcement authorities of any
detected counterfeiting activity. Anti-counterfeiting operations are made measurably and significantly more effective thanks to the
transparency provided by this real-time analysis.