Royal Mail has added another tool to its armoury in the fight against counterfeit stamps in the form of additional functionality within their app. Barcoded stamps appear to have already dramatically reduced the prevalence of fake stamps, and now the Royal Mail app can verify the validity of a stamp by checking if it is a known counterfeit.
It will be interesting to see if the invention has been protected by Royal Mail's patent portfolio. It may be difficult to obtain a granted patent in Europe or the UK for this invention, as it may be considered to relate only to computer software and/or a method of doing business, rather than making a technical contribution to the field. Nevertheless, it is possible to protect such inventions in some circumstances, and given the effectiveness of barcoded stamps, it seems that this new tool could be commercially valuable and therefore it may have been worth pursuing a patent for it.
Those who develop technical business or software solutions should consider if patents are right for them or if trade secrets would be a more appropriate safeguard against competitors. At M&C we have the expertise to deliver the strategic advice that you need in this regard.
It has also added a new scanner to its free-to-use app that will enable people to check if a stamp is a known fake, thereby preventing them from “inadvertently becoming victims of fraud”.
Once the barcode on the stamp is scanned, the customer will be told whether or not it is counterfeit. If people did not buy their stamps from Royal Mail, a post office or another reputable outlet, they are being advised to scan them to make sure they are genuine.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.