FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10 May 2016

Italian company Certbrand partners with US-based Sproxil to bring their award-winning anti- counterfeiting technology to Europe

Boston, MA (10 May, 2016) – Sproxil®, a global leader in mobile-based brand protection, takes on consumer goods counterfeiting in Europe through a new partnership with Certbrand as a reseller in Italy, Switzerland and Malta.

“Partnering with Certbrand allows us to break into the European market, which is home to many of the top consumer brands in the world, making them highly vulnerable to counterfeiters,” says Sproxil founder Ashifi Gogo. “Our goal is to reduce the number of fake goods manufactured under genuine European brand names.”

“Brands know they have a problem, but many don’t know how to protect themselves,” says Certbrand founder and CEO, Mauro Dezi. “We’re helping European companies maintain the integrity of their brand with technology that’s easy to implement and has built-in incentives for their customers.

” The worldwide counterfeit trade is worth nearly half a trillion dollars a year, according to a report by the OECD. Italy and Switzerland rank second and third (respectively) in the top 5 countries whose IP rights are infringed upon, with several other countries in the EU making up the remaining top 10 (Germany, Finland, France, UK, Spain, Belgium).

In Italy alone, over $17 billion dollars in fake Italian goods are sold each year, costing the Italian government an estimated $1.5 million in taxes annually. “And the cost to the brands themselves is also high,” states Certbrand founder and CEO, Mauro Dezi. “Consumers pay $200 for jeans because it has the promise of a high end Italian brand. But if the product is counterfeit and the buyer does not know, then they will assume that the brand is producing poor quality products,” Dezi adds. The same is true for the food industry: many of the foods sold in American grocery stores that have the “Made in Italy” label, like olive oil, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, are not actually produced there.

Initially, Certbrand will focus on selling the Sproxil technology to companies in 4 key industries: Fashion (footwear was the most counterfeited type of good, with over 25,000 reported seizures), food, automotive parts and genuine leather goods – all of which make up the top most counterfeited products worldwide, according to the OEDC, but particularly in Europe.

Certbrand is using Sproxil Defender™ technology, which combats counterfeiting and increases consumer loyalty by ensuring the quality of the product purchased, protecting consumers from fraud and allowing brands to offer loyalty rewards campaigns with instant promotions. Sproxil Defender is recognized as the most popular solution in the industry, chosen by multinational companies in several industrial segments. Sproxil Defender, formerly called Mobile Product Authentication™ (MPA™), allows consumers to confirm the authenticity of a product via text message or their upcoming mobile app. Since launching, they have achieved over 21 million verifications in Africa and Asia.

According to Dezi, there is another reason why they chose to be a Sproxil reseller: “This technology will also allow our customers to increase sales of their brands on the internet by guaranteeing unequivocally the authenticity of their products to the consumers purchasing their goods through the net,” he says. On a global level, counterfeit products cost the legitimate designers and manufacturers millions of dollars in lost sales, as well as the ability to offer well-paying jobs. Counterfeiting also produces knockoffs that endanger lives — auto parts that fail, pharmaceuticals that make people sick, toys that harm children, baby formula that provides no nourishment and medical instruments that deliver false readings.

About Sproxil®
Sproxil® uses mobile technology and a proprietary fraud detection platform to launch secure, data-driven consumer engagement programs globally. Sproxil’s solutions are deployed by multinational manufacturers and brands across multiple industries to prevent supply chain fraud, amplify brand awareness, and optimize marketing spend. With teams of experts in Africa, Asia and America, Sproxil has executed projects across five continents and has the ability to offer services in over 100 countries worldwide. They have earned numerous awards and honors, including the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative Outstanding Commitment Award and named the most innovative healthcare company in the world by Fast Company Magazine, ranking #7 overall. Sproxil is ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified.

About Certbrand
Certbrand is an official Sproxil products reseller for Italy, Malta, and Switzerland that advises medium and large organizations on how to protect their brands from counterfeiters and protects products covered by the “Made in Italy” brand. The company is lead by CEO, Mauro Dezi and a team of experienced sales professionals boasting a leading experience in IT, Telecommunications and Management Consulting for major companies such as British Telecom, Orange, Data General and Siemens. Their partners operate throughout Europe and share their goal of protecting and maintaining the high quality reputation of European brands.