25 | 09 | 2026

Technology Guide on Protecting Products or Digital Content Against Counterfeiting and Piracy

Source: EUIPO

The *Anti-Counterfeiting and Anti-Piracy Technology Guide* (abbreviated as the ACAPT Guide) has been published on the website of the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights (hereinafter: the EU Observatory).
 
The ACAPT Guide is intended for businesses—particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—wishing to learn more about options for protecting their products or digital content against counterfeiting and piracy, as well as how to select the technologies best suited to their operations.
 
Intellectual property rights holders have access to over 40 technologies for protection against counterfeiting and piracy, grouped into several key categories: electronic product identification and tracking technologies; product and/or packaging marking technologies; chemical, mechanical, and physical authentication technologies; specialized protection technologies for digital media; blockchain technologies; and relevant ISO standards in this field.
 
Given the wide range of such technologies available on the market, the ACAPT Guide can help intellectual property rights holders select the appropriate technology for protecting products, packaging, and digital content; it will be especially useful for those exploring these options for the first time to enhance their business operations and strengthen the security of their products and supply chains.
 
The online ACAPT Guide offers multiple search options (usage and search instructions are available), selected search results can be downloaded as a PDF report, and the Guide is now fully available in Croatian; you can access it here.
 
The ACAPT Guide was prepared as part of the activities of the EU Observatory, in cooperation with the Italian Patent and Trademark Office and numerous other experts.