To fight counterfeits, the Australian Government, through IP Australia, is working with industry and government partners to trial a multi-technology initiative, Smart Trade, that allows consumers or other interested parties to check whether a website sells genuine branded products.through several trial projects.
Smart Trade Mark is being trialled to modernise trade marks, enabling brands to better protect themselves against misuse and counterfeit. It is a platform that allows trade mark owners to connect digitally to the government register to prove they are the authentic owner of a brand. It is currently being trialled with industry and government partners.
Once this product is released publicly, as the owner or agent of a trade mark you will be able to exclusively request a Smart Trade Mark linking your authentic products to your official trade mark.
How does Smart Trade Mark work?
Smart Trade Mark enables you as a trade mark owner to authenticate your products or services, the places you’re selling them, and your supply chains – by digitally linking them to your trade mark. It uses blockchain technology and APIs to connect information about the trade mark, such as who the owner is and where it has been used digitally. This enables the trade mark owner to control the use of their mark/s and prove a product’s origin. Importantly, Smart Trade Mark is an open platform with the potential to enable a lot of different applications. It works through three steps:
- Through IP Australia, the trade mark owner submits a product reference or domain address to create a Smart Trade Mark.
- These details are secured, stored and linked to the government trade mark register used to authenticate the trade mark.
- Finally, the Smart Trade Mark can then be digitally verified online using a trust badge, giving consumers confidence in the authenticity of your product or brand.
Smart Trade Mark – Trust Badge
The Trust Badge provides visual proof of an authentic trade mark by linking an online experience with a verified Smart Trade Mark. The Trust Badge displays details of the trade mark to consumers, helping them identify authentic products and increase their trust in the brands they purchase.
Trade mark owners can create as many trust badges as they need, by applying and providing the web address where the Trust Badge will be displayed. Contact Brandsec to discuss a tailored anti-counterfeiting for your brand.
About brandsec
Brandsec is a corporate domain name management and brand protection company that look after many of Australia, New Zealand and Asia’s top publicly listed brands. We provide monitoring and enforcement services, DNS, domain name brokerage and dispute management and brand security consultation services.
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