RFID combats counterfeiting

By Staff Writer for Kyocera Mita
Johannesburg, 08 Aug 2006

Printer cartridge counterfeiting is a multimillion-rand business, but printer makers are joining the world`s pharmaceutical companies in turning to radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as a viable means of assuring consumers that products are genuine.

Several printer manufacturers are considering the benefits of RFID, and Kyocera Mita has introduced the use of RFID tags to its toner cartridges and RFID readers to the latest generation of printers released in April.

The RFID tags uniquely identify cartridges and communicate wirelessly with printers to identify and log any newly-installed cartridge as genuine or not.

"Companies will know instantly if they have been sold a counterfeit cartridge, so the RFID system prevents them from inadvertently invalidating the two-year warranty by using a counterfeit product," explains Michael Powell, enterprise product manager at Kyocera Mita SA.

Powell says the RFID system will also protect companies against damaging printer drums by using counterfeit cartridges and logs will certify that only genuine cartridges have been used.