Hologram Image Register
The Hologram Image Register (HIR) is a secure registry of holographic images, established by the IHMA to safeguard hologram copyright and underpin the use of holograms in authentication and security printing.
The HIR is the only system of its kind for the authentication community. The centrally held global database of secure holograms is operated on behalf of the IHMA by the Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (CIB) under the strictest confidence and security that supports ISO14298 (the security standard for the management of security print and security foil production). As part of this standard, hologram producers must register all security holograms they produce in a global registry (ie. the HIR).
The HIR enables hologram manufacturers and producers to verify, at the time a new hologram is being designed or originated, that this design, or elements of it, do not infringe copyright or allow the unintentional copy of existing security holograms. This helps to ensure that the hologram image is not already in use and is the first step for the subsequent registration of the image. The image registration is completed once the design has received clearance.
In addition to IHMA members, the HIR is available to law enforcement agencies to check for the provenance of a design when they need information on a suspect hologram.
The IHMA also allows approved non-members to register holograms on the HIR, subject to a fee (HIR registration for IHMA member is included within their membership fee). The fee for non-members is £500.
First established in 1993, the HIR includes more than 10,000 registrations (as of the start of 2022), a number that is growing by the day. In early 2022, it underwent a major upgrade, designed to improve user efficiency and effectiveness by enabling faster online registration and copyright checking of hologram designs.
The HIR has, since its inception, 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 issuers of passports and ID documents.
We frequently receive customer inquiries who want to confirm our membership in the IHMA and to confirm we will register their image in the IHMA’s Hologram Image Registry. The customers see a value in having their custom images registered globally.
The new on-line system requires much more information and while initially this was daunting and took a little extra time, once a routine was established it is in fact easier to complete and is more logical. Also, the amount of information required does provide us with a greater degree of confidence that once registered, the CIB can more easily check for counterfeits or inadvertent copies, and that’s an important value for us.
Our Partners
The HIR is operated for the IHMA by the Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau, a division of the International Chamber of Commerce, a not-for-profit non-governmental organisation accredited by the UN.
The Register is operated in absolute confidence by the CIB. Neither IHMA members nor staff have access to the Register, thereby ensuring that commercial information is not compromised.
The CIB is based in secure premises in London, UK.
Further Resources
For general enquiries and further information on the HIR and, for non-IHMA members, details of the approval and fees process, please contact the Secretariat
