NEC Corp’s smartphone app spots fake goods with close-up picture

Japan's NEC Corporation, has come up with a smartphone app to spot counterfeit goods with a single close-up picture.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the app was aimed more at retailers than individual shoppers. The report said the NEC application would have pictures of products in its database taken with a special magnifying lens.

Shops would then use the patterns to verify factory received products using smartphone pictures taken with a special lens.

The company's new pattern recognition system is capable of identifying fakes from the authentic luxury goods like handbags and wallets through their unique surface pattern, like a fingerprint. NEC's new pattern recognition system could spot fakes, making it easy enough for anyone to utilise it.

Several companies had expressed an interest in the app, which was to be formally launched after April next year, according to NEC.

Ultimately, the system would allow merchants to completely remove product ID tags and plastic strings that were pierced through expensive items.

NEC hopes this would lower costs and ensure even a small fake did not mar pricey designer goods.