Improvements deliver faster access to hologram image register
14 Feb 2022 | Press Release
The Hologram Image Register (HIR) – the secure registry of holographic images, established by the IHMA to safeguard hologram copyright and underpin the use of holograms in authentication and security printing – has received its first major makeover since its launch in 1993.
The HIR is the only system of its type for the authentication community. The centrally held global database of secure holograms is operated on behalf of the IHMA by the Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau under the strictest confidence and security that supports ISO14298*. It enables hologram manufacturers and producers to verify that their hologram design, or elements of a hologram design, do not infringe copyright or allow the unintentional copy of existing security holograms. The image registration is completed once the design has received clearance.
The HIR is also available to law enforcement agencies to check for the provenance of a design when they need information on a suspect hologram.
The changes are designed to improve user efficiency and effectiveness by enabling faster online registration and copyright checking of hologram designs, and will come into effect in February 22.
The streamlining of the Copyright and IP section of the HIR secure portal offers distinct advantages to IHMA members. It will further and significantly reduce the time taken for registration, which is a fully online process where artwork is submitted electronically to provide quicker design checks. The hologram manufacturer submitting a design search will be expected to have the authorisation of their customers to use copyrighted artwork provided for use in the final hologram. This is achieved by acceptance in the portal of Warranties and Indemnities to that effect, significantly speeding up the whole verification process and ensures copyright / IP is clearly identified and protect for all parties.
IHMA chair Dr Paul Dunn, said: “The new, easier-to-use features are a beneficial step forward, representing a significant update and redesign of the HIR requirements. These reflect more accurately the way current holograms are designed and used, undoubtedly facilitating an increase in the registration of images and secure their integrity.”
The HIR includes more than 10,000 registrations, a number that is growing by the day. It has helped to prevent numerous attempts to source copy holograms, and has also helped to confirm that a suspect hologram was, indeed, a fake, which in turn has led to arrests and prosecution of the counterfeiters.
Moreover, registration of a hologram design with the HIR is increasingly a pre-condition of tenders and procurement, particularly by government bodies such as central banks, revenue authorities and passport issuers, as well as brand owners.
The IHMA is made up of 80 of the world’s leading hologram companies. It is a not-for-profit organisation whose members are the leading producers and converters of holograms for banknote security, anti-counterfeiting, brand protection, packaging, graphics and other commercial applications around the world. They actively cooperate to maintain the highest professional, security and quality standards. More at www.ihma.org
