• AiNews.com
  • Posts
  • Lacoste Uses AI Tech to Combat Counterfeiting with 99.7% Accuracy

Lacoste Uses AI Tech to Combat Counterfeiting with 99.7% Accuracy

Author

Alicia Shapiro
October 17, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

A fashion retail warehouse with Lacoste clothing items, prominently featuring the iconic Lacoste crocodile logo. The logo is surrounded by digital elements, including AI symbols such as neural networks, gears, and magnifying lenses, indicating AI-powered scanning technology. In the background, workers and machinery highlight the collaboration between human expertise and advanced AI tools to combat counterfeit products. The scene represents innovation and brand authenticity protection in Lacoste's warehouses

Image Source: ChatGPT-4o

Lacoste Uses AI Tech to Combat Counterfeiting with 99.7% Accuracy

Lacoste has become the first fashion brand to adopt a cutting-edge AI-powered anti-counterfeiting technology, developed by the French tech company Cypheme. The new tool, Vrai AI, promises to revolutionize counterfeit detection by leveraging visual analysis to distinguish between authentic and fake products.

Revolutionizing Counterfeit Detection with AI

Cypheme's Vrai AI uses microscopic visual details to differentiate genuine products from counterfeits. By analyzing a photo of an item or a specific product detail, the AI-powered tool can achieve a remarkable 99.7% accuracy rate, eliminating the need for traditional anti-counterfeit measures such as hidden labels or special markings.

Lacoste is using Vrai AI to focus on its iconic crocodile logo, a frequent target for counterfeiters. The technology has already been integrated into Lacoste’s warehouses, where it supports human experts in identifying and removing fake products from circulation.

Counterfeiting in Fashion and Beyond

Counterfeiting is a significant issue for the fashion industry, especially for luxury brands like Lacoste. According to the State of the Fake report by Entrupy, an AI-based authentication specialist, nearly 9% of items analyzed by its tools in 2023 were either unidentified or inauthentic, marking a year-over-year increase of 0.8%. The rise of social media platforms like TikTok has contributed to the spread of counterfeit goods, with hashtags like #RepTok encouraging the sale of luxury replicas.

Lacoste’s adoption of AI technology reflects its continued commitment to maintaining brand authenticity. The company has an established code of conduct and ethics charter that all employees and suppliers must follow. In addition to collaborating with groups like the International Trademark Association and French industry association UNIFAB, Lacoste remains at the forefront of anti-counterfeit efforts.

Legal Wins in the Fight Against Counterfeiting

Earlier this year, Lacoste secured a trademark infringement victory against Cartelo, a Chinese apparel brand operated by Nanji E-Commerce. Cartelo’s use of a left-facing crocodile logo was ruled too similar to Lacoste’s iconic right-facing logo. The Beijing Higher People’s Court sided with Lacoste, ordering Cartelo to cease using the logo and pay $2.05 million in compensation to Lacoste.

Implications for Retail and Other Industries

Lacoste’s adoption of AI to combat counterfeiting could set a precedent for other industries that struggle with counterfeit goods. From luxury fashion to electronics and pharmaceuticals, sectors dealing with rampant fake products could benefit from AI’s ability to detect counterfeits with near-perfect accuracy. The use of AI like Vrai could revolutionize how industries address the ever-growing counterfeit market, providing enhanced security and trust for consumers.