SIR Webinar Announced

Following the expansion of the secure registry of holographic images and its relaunch as the Security Image Register (SIR) last month, the IHMA has announced it will be holding a webinar focusing on the SIR and its benefits for suppliers and their customers on 17 April.

The expanded register, the only system of its type for the secure document community, has introduced image registration to the full spectrum of optical security manufacturers. The global database, set up by the IHMA in 1993 and managed by the Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (CIB) , protects the security image by recording and identifying all copyright associated with each design. Each registration is allocated a unique reference number that can be tracked to support authentication of the image and its copyright.

The expansion and rebranding of what was previously known as the Hologram Image Register reflects the changing dynamics of the global security printing industry and security features. Holograms are increasingly being incorporated and integrated with other optically variable devices (OVDs) to provide advanced anti-counterfeiting solutions, but they are only one of a number of different imaging technologies that offer colour change, movement, animation and 3D effects, amongst others.

The key change is the inclusion of 13 optical technologies that now fall with a general OVD (Optically Variable Device) category in the Primary Visual Feature selection. These are micro-lens arrays, micro-mirrors, plasmonics, nano- gratings, colour change, caustics, polarisation, photonic crystals, special print-generated effects, or a combination of these.

In addition to hologram producers, the SIR is now available to all manufacturers of secure OVDs. It is also available to central government and institutions such as central banks, revenue authorities and passport issuers, through their security feature suppliers. The SIR is also accessible to law enforcement agencies, allowing them to check for the provenance of a design when they need information on a suspect feature.

Since it was set up, the Register has helped to prevent numerous attempts to source copy holograms as well as helped to confirm that suspect holograms were indeed fakes. This in turn, helped support the law enforcement authorities in their pursuit of the counterfeiters.

Registration of a hologram design has also been a pre-condition of many tenders and procurement, particularly by government bodies. It is expected that this will now apply to other images registered with the SIR too.

The webinar, which will be open to all participants, will include a presentation from the IHMA and the CIB as well as several IHMA members who use the SIR on a regular basis.