Generative AI (GenAI) has made a significant impact on the world. Alongside this, garnering similar attention, are digital watermarks and their role in communicating copyright information and ensuring transparency, aiding consumers in understanding crucial details such as the provenance or use of AI within the digital content they engage with. With this added attention has come a host of questions about what digital watermarking entails and how it functions?
Digital watermarking is the science of hiding information within a physical or digital item so it remains imperceptible or inaudible to humans but can be easily detected and deciphered by machines. For nearly 30 years, Digimarc digital watermarks have been deployed in solutions, excelling in two key domains: the identification and authentication of physical and digital items.
Industrial Automation
A prominent global vision systems provider collaborated with Digimarc to help a large food manufacturer remove shrink-wrap plastic labeling on 1B+ bottles annually while successfully ensuring products are identified throughout the manufacturing and quality control process. This initiative not only eliminated 22 tons of plastic and 159 tons of carbon emissions each year but also bolstered efficiency.
Multifactor Authentication
A global consumer health company partnered with Digimarc to provide consumers the ability to authenticate one of their most iconic personal care products through multifactor authentication (MFA). After scanning a QR code, customers are prompted to scan the digital watermark embedded in the product packaging to confirm authenticity. The MFA mechanism, combining dynamic QR codes and covert digital watermarks, not only combats counterfeiting but also fosters consumer loyalty and trust.
Anti-Counterfeiting
A multinational pharmaceutical company collaborated with Digimarc to integrate a covert digital security layer into their packaging, mitigating revenue losses, enhancing brand integrity, bolstering consumer trust, and gaining valuable insights into the supply chain. Moreover, they now possess the capability to remotely authenticate their packaging in the field.
Content Protection
Digimarc partnered with adoption support organization Raise the Future to further advance the organization’s mission of finding permanent homes for foster youth while also protecting their privacy. Utilizing Digimarc Validate, Raise the Future conveys copyright ownership of digital profiles of children awaiting adoption safeguarding against misuse, a crucial endeavor in the era of GenAI.
Recycling Improvements
Securing a multiyear contract valued at over $30 million, Digimarc extended its expertise into a new market by safeguarding the integrity of a national deposit-return system (DRS), thereby supporting increased circularity of food and beverage containers. Digital watermarks ensure the authenticity of packaging to combat the potential for deposit return fraud. This initiative combines Digimarc’s proficiency in both anti-counterfeiting and recycling.
Retail Operations
German-based Netto Marken-Discount achieved a significant milestone by digitizing thousands of its private label food and beverage packages across its 4,300 nationwide stores. Digitizing with Digimarc digital watermarks creates more efficiency at checkout and ensures Netto branded products are Digimarc recycle-ready, reinforcing Netto’s commitment to sustainability and consumer trust.
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