This post is an abridged version of an editorial appearing in Authentication News® and Pharma AntiCounterfeiting News (PACN). The latest issue of PACN will post later this week.

The latest issues of Authentication News and Pharma AntiCounterfeiting News report that the work of the International Standards Organisation's (ISO) Project Committee (PC) 246 is drawing to a close, anticipating that its new ISO 12931 standard on Performance criteria for authentication solutions used to combat counterfeiting of material goods will be published early in 2012.

ISO 12931 aims to stimulate improvement in the way that users of authentication solutions approach their selection of such solutions. So despite its title, this new Standard is intended for brand owners and other users of authentication - it is not directly aimed at authentication solutions producers or suppliers, but it will affect them in the way they interact with customers.

The Standard aims to guide authentication users through the process of identification and selection of the authentication solution that best meets their needs. It establishes that the first step for a user is a risk analysis, so that they can pinpoint their key product protection needs; the next step recommended in the Standard is to identify the type of solution they need. A substantial part of the Standard discusses the criteria and characteristics that they should look for in their authentication solution - from environmental issues, to application and integration factors, and whether or not they need longevity of protection.

One anticipated benefit of the new Standard is that it simplifies the categorisation of authentication products and examiners. Early drafts of the Standard included several types of authentication, but the final draft has only two: overt and covert. Examination is defined as falling in to three types: that carried out be a general audience (ie the public and consumers); that carried out by a specialist audience (ie company inspectors and law enforcement officers), and forensic analysis, conducted by specialists. The Standard nonetheless encourages the use of authentication elements in combination or layers.

One of the difficulties facing a brand owner looking for authentication is the multitude of types of product and the many different descriptions used for basically the same thing - potential users see a maze of authentication methods and refuse to step in. Simplification, codification, commonality of terms - these all aid understanding, which in turn encourages potential users to go forward. Whereas now there is too often confusion and bewilderment.

By providing guidance through the risk analysis and selection criteria the Standard will provide further encouragement to the so-far reluctant. The use of authentication to combat counterfeits has come a long way since a hologram was first used as a product protection device in the mid-1980s, but there are still too many examples of a knee-jerk response from brand owners who suddenly realise they have a counterfeiting problem. Then they castigate the authentication element they select because it doesn't stop 100% of counterfeits, when the reality is that they didn't properly and thoroughly assess their needs. ISO 12931 should help to overcome this problem which afflicts the authentication industry.

Despite the raised profile of product counterfeiting in recent years, staff at many brand owners fear the authentication maze. Having a standard to refer to, from which to take guidance, to serve as a fall-back or safety net, will remove this fear factor. Further, the person responsible for devising an authentication strategy can refer to the standard in enlisting the support and budget allocation from superiors - a point not to be underestimated for its influence on failure to act.