Great Success of WISeKey's Swiss Anti-Counterfeiting Solution at the Geneva Time Exhibition

GENEVA, January 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- From now on, watches will be protected by a SmartCard and a digital certificate provided by WISeKey, proving their identity and origin.

This innovative solution presented today at the Geneva Time Exhibition by WISeKey represents another decisive step in the fight against the sale of fakes.

It consists of offering WISeAuthentic in the form of a SaaS, allowing manufacturers with limited means and resources to still protect themselves and their clients through a premium solution based on an electronic certificate of guarantee that contains not only the identity code of the watch, but also permits privileged access to a reserved space on the internet site of the watch manufacturer.

Sales points and clients can use the SmartCard to instantly check the watch authenticity online.

This is the first time that this technology is used as a fraud protection tool. This patented method is based on a digital identity protected by a cryptographic SmartCard that is linked to a watch. WISeKey provides a secured platform for the buyer, accessible via the site of the watchmaker in an area reserved for the identification of the watches. If the information contained in the SmartCard is not valid, access to this area is simply refused.

In the past, the "paper" certificate was secure enough to prevent copies or modifications. To this end, every watch presented with such a certificate containing the same serial number was certified as authentic.

Today, the paper certificate has become vulnerable, and color copies have evolved to a level that makes them hard to distinguish from the original. The majority of the security technologies added to paper become accessible after a few years. WISeKey has therefore come up with a digital approach, based on a digital certificate forged within a cryptographic chip that cannot be reproduced or modified. These issued certificates carry the digital seal of the authentication authority and cannot be manipulated by unauthorized third parties.

One of the main advantages of the solution is its capacity to allow online verification. Once the online validation has been done, the authenticity of the watch accompanied by its SmartCard is guaranteed. The system also allows checks to ensure that the object has not been declared stolen or lost. Depending on the type of online application, the proof of authenticity can be presented later to a third party.

On the same platform, the watch brand also receives real-time information on geo-localized sales via the electronic guarantee activation, avoiding the risk of fraud and at the same time controlling the potential gray market. Finally, the brand can also offer their clients new value-added services based on the assurance that they are owners of an authentic watch.

Thanks to PKI technologies, WISeKey proposes the development of a social network which limits access exclusively to members of the brand's community.

The necessary elements for validation of the watch are simple and standard, allowing frequent verifications throughout the lifecycle of the watch, especially during auctions, for inheritance reasons or towards the authorities.

    
    More:

    http://www.wiseauthentic.com/

    Contact:
    Olivia Ward
    oward@wisekey.com
    +41-(0)22-594-30-00