Digimarc is primarily known as a world leader in digital watermarking. However, the Illuminate Platform is not limited to digital watermarks. As a matter of fact, Digimarc is a pioneer and leading provider of GS1 Digital Link QR codes. From co-chairing the Digital Link standard to leading the industry’s first commercial deployments of GS1 Digital Links with global brands like Ralph Lauren, Patagonia, Puma, AstraZeneca, Reckitt, and Unilever.
The Illuminate Platform also extends to innovative data carriers like NFC (Near Field Communication). Similar to QR codes, NFC tags can be natively read by mobile phones: users simply need to tap their phone just like they use it for mobile payments. Moreover, secure NFC tags are difficult to counterfeit thanks to the use of encrypted signatures (e.g., AES 128). This makes the tags a desirable option for products that require higher security and can afford a slightly more expensive data carrier.
Digimarc collaborates with Swiss semiconductor manufacturer EM Microelectronic on the company’s powerful dual-frequency RFID technology for tags, embedded in tiny integrated circuits branded emjecho-V. Today we are excited to unveil Digimarc’s latest integration of EM technology in Illuminate, offering one of the most advanced tagging solutions to date. The integration unlocks a variety of use cases - from provenance traceability to consumer engagement and strong authentication.
EM Microelectronics’ em|echo-V integrated circuits (ICs) for tags are one of a kind because they combine the benefits of NFC and UHF RFID worlds into a single tag. While NFC is ideal for consumer-facing applications, UHF RFID is primarily used for supply chain traceability thanks to greater reading distances. The product identity standard for UHF RFID tags is known as EPC (Electronic Product Code) and tags using this standard are often referred to as RAIN RFID tags.
The ability to offer both interfaces into a single tag is game changing because this means a single data carrier can be used throughout the life cycle of the product.
emjecho-V is compatible with the GS1 Digital Link standard by implementing the memory substitution function for smartphone-based web authentication with GS1 96-bit encodings for EPC. This means that the tag can translate the standard EPC product code embedded in the RAIN RFID tag into a GS1 Digital Link web address accessible via consumer phones and the NFC interface.
The GS1 Digital Link standard is the modernization of the GS1 identity standard that Digimarc helped develop. The standard provides the means for consumers to interface with GS1 identifiers by converting GS1 identifiers into a web address that can be read by mobile platforms and point of sales (POS) systems no matter the data carrier technology. It is accessible for automatic recognition and data capture via a phone camera or NFC reader.
EM recognized the pivotal role GS1 plays in enabling seamless GS1 identifier connectivity within the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. Future em|echo products will also support GS1 encodings of any length for full compatibility with the latest GS1 Digital Link encoding standard. This represents a paradigm shift, moving beyond the transactional function of standardized product codes and opening the vast potential of web-based consumer product interactions.
Data carriers based on emjecho-V can now be connected to an Illuminate digital twin. The Digimarc platform has long supported the provisioning of GS1 Digital Link identities for the em|echo-V but now it also supports an innovative end-to-end authentication solution on top of the data carrier.
Instead of requiring a special application to verify the tag's signature, the solution uses web authentication. This means that the encrypted payload is injected into a GS1 Digital Link web address and verified by the Illuminate Platform before redirecting to a consumer experience that displays authentication results. Furthermore, the solution allows the consumer experience page to verify the origin of the request to ensure it comes from a trusted platform. This patented technology ensures end-to-end authentication while completely removing the need for an app download: the entire authentication flow happens on the web.
The combination of EM’s innovative data carrier and Digimarc’s industry-leading Illuminate platform unlocks several powerful use cases as described below.
Strong App Less Product Authentication
Thanks to Illuminate’s support for end-to-end Web based authentication, the authenticity of products bearing an em|echo-V tag can be verified based on state-of-the-art cryptographic techniques, without any special app. This makes brand integrity use cases more accessible without compromising security. This technology does not compete with Digimarc’s digital watermark-based authentication. This last point is particularly interesting for products where strong authentication is a requirement and the brand is ready to allocate a certain budget for NFC tags, to mitigate the cost and reputation risks associated with counterfeiting.
Tamper-proof Detection
The em|echo-V tags can also be combined with a tamper-proof seal. This seal can be added to different types of packaging from bottles to boxes. When the packaging is opened, the seal is broken. The em|echo-V detects this change in packaging and adds it as a parameter to the tag signature. This parameter can be verified and decrypted by the Illuminate Platform informing the consumer scanning the tag of the tamper status of the package.
Pre and Post Purchase Experiences
One of the unique features of the em|echo-V tags is the ability to communicate information back and forth between the RAIN RFID and the NFC interface. A concrete example of the benefits of this approach is the ability to change the state of the tag pre- and post-purchase. As most RAIN RFID tags are deactivated at checkout (a process known as the EPC kill switch) the NFC interface can change the GS1 Digital Link web address accordingly. The Illuminate Platform is then able to detect this parameter and thanks to Digimarc Engage, a different consumer experience can be served pre- and post-purchase, without requiring integration with a POS backend system.
Digital Product Passports
Perhaps one of the most compelling use cases for the em|echo-V technology combined with Digimarc’s Illuminate Platform is the creation of Digital Product Passports. This EU regulation requires a digital data carrier on certain products ranging from EV batteries and consumer electronics to detergents, to apparel and footwear. To populate the Digital Product Passports, brands must gather and organize product data, including traceability data. This is where the echo-V-based tags provide a unique solution. The tags offer a carrier and a single product identity that can gather the data within the supply chain and serve as a digital trigger to access data materialized in a Digital Product Passport. Combining this carrier with the Illuminate Platform forms a solid technological basis to comply with the upcoming regulations as demonstrated in recent DPP pilots.
Different use cases and product types need different data carriers. A simple QR code alone for example cannot be used as a basis for applications requiring strong authentication. Digimarc’s Illuminate Platform supports different types of data carriers, from GS1 Digital Link 2D codes to Digimarc’s digital watermarks. We’re excited to share that we now also support em|echo-V unique NFC & RAIN RFID technology. This new capability is ideal for products requiring end-to-end traceability combined with strong encryption and authentication.
If you need end-to-end traceability, brand protection, or Digital Product Passport, we would be delighted to discuss these new capabilities with you!
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