The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT) yesterday launched a new portal on the issue of product piracy. This portal addresses itself to companies which believe that they are at a particular risk of becoming a victim of product piracy or which were already affected by it. The portal is to provide them with suitable mechanisms in order to protect themselves against counterfeiters.
Among other things this portal offers companies a range of questions by the help of which these may thoroughly check their individual situation. Each company which fills in this questionnaire will receive a tailor-made evaluation of suitable protective mechanisms for each individual case. In addition the portal provides a free search function by which users may choose themselves from a list of technical and strategic protective mechanisms those which may be suitable for being implemented in their respective companies.
The portal was set up in the context of a search project called “Technology-Know-how-Protection” which is sponsored by the “Stiftung Industrieforschung” foundation as well as five partners from industry. Before benefitting from the portal users have to register once and only after their data have been checked by the Fraunhofer Institute they will be provided with the access data in order to prevent misuse of the portal. 