Hi-tech hits hootch
Even the police are astonished by the ingenuity involved in the production of fake alcohol. Traditionally, the counterfeiters have inhabited a murky world where moonshine is poured into old bottles and passed off as the original. But in a growing battle of wits, the police are being confronted with increasingly sophisticated operations, as those who counterfeit leading alcohol brands try to keep their multimillion-złoty trade going in the face of increased determination by the authorities to stop it.
Marek Węgliński, a senior commissioner at the national police headquarters, cites the example of an operation uncovered by police in Katowice in July. Not only were the counterfeiters running a high-tech bottling plant, they were also producing near perfect labels and tax seals. The police estimated that this factory alone had cost the treasury some €1.2 million (zł. 5 million) in lost tax revenue.
To date, leading vodka Wyborowa, owned by Pernod Ricard, has not suffered as much as some other brands at the hands of the counterfeiters. The clear label on its bottles has proved too much of a challenge to reproduce. But that does not mean that the company takes the threat of counterfeiting lightly.
"The creativity of the criminals is outstanding," said Isabelle Lurie, Wyborowa's marketing director. "So Pernod Ricard is working hard to keep one step ahead of them."
In a recent announcement, Pernod Ricard's management said Wyborowa bottles would, from January, be protected with Trustseal technology. Trustseal is the latest brand-protection innovation from hologram security application provider Kurz.
As an improvement on the traditional hologram, Trustseal uses sophisticated technology based on diffractive optics. The seal's intense brilliance and complex optical effects make copying almost impossible. Counterfeits will be easily distinguishable. The seal, once applied to a bottle's top, fragments if any attempt is made to peel it off.
The innovation, it is hoped, will help protect the interests of both producers and consumers. The counterfeiters and smugglers have already been hit hard by the October 1 reduction in excise duty on vodka. By boosting legal sales by 10% to 15%, the excise tax cut is expected actually to increase treasury revenues. As police commissioner Węgliński pointed out, the illegal alcohol trade hurts the treasury and the producers, as well as society and the public health. Thus it is in the interests of the police, producers and consumers to work together to combat it.
Marek Węgliński, a senior commissioner at the national police headquarters, cites the example of an operation uncovered by police in Katowice in July. Not only were the counterfeiters running a high-tech bottling plant, they were also producing near perfect labels and tax seals. The police estimated that this factory alone had cost the treasury some €1.2 million (zł. 5 million) in lost tax revenue.
To date, leading vodka Wyborowa, owned by Pernod Ricard, has not suffered as much as some other brands at the hands of the counterfeiters. The clear label on its bottles has proved too much of a challenge to reproduce. But that does not mean that the company takes the threat of counterfeiting lightly.
"The creativity of the criminals is outstanding," said Isabelle Lurie, Wyborowa's marketing director. "So Pernod Ricard is working hard to keep one step ahead of them."
In a recent announcement, Pernod Ricard's management said Wyborowa bottles would, from January, be protected with Trustseal technology. Trustseal is the latest brand-protection innovation from hologram security application provider Kurz.
As an improvement on the traditional hologram, Trustseal uses sophisticated technology based on diffractive optics. The seal's intense brilliance and complex optical effects make copying almost impossible. Counterfeits will be easily distinguishable. The seal, once applied to a bottle's top, fragments if any attempt is made to peel it off.
The innovation, it is hoped, will help protect the interests of both producers and consumers. The counterfeiters and smugglers have already been hit hard by the October 1 reduction in excise duty on vodka. By boosting legal sales by 10% to 15%, the excise tax cut is expected actually to increase treasury revenues. As police commissioner Węgliński pointed out, the illegal alcohol trade hurts the treasury and the producers, as well as society and the public health. Thus it is in the interests of the police, producers and consumers to work together to combat it.
