Product piracy is becoming an ever greater problem worldwide and it is no longer just a question of copies of good designs. Fakes and copies of technical products call the safety of these products into question and, consequently, product liability claims are on the increase. At Techtextil in Frankfurt, the Swiss technology company Schoeller Technologies AG presented its DNAtex project for the first time, a new technology which detects counterfeits almost instantly.

Schoeller Technologies says that the damage resulting from copies and fake products worldwide is estimated to be between 200 and 300 billion Euros annually. Most well known companies and coveted brands are affected and these companies invest enormous sums into the development of new products, engage the most creative minds and spend millions on brand identity. Over the years, an ever-increasing shadow economy of counterfeiting has grown up in their direct vicinity. This not only damages the image and the brand, but in some cases, the products simply do not work, which can have dramatic consequences.

On the Schoeller Technologies booth at Techtextil, staff demonstrated detection with a hand held device which gave a simple original or fake indication.