This document gives guidelines for performance criteria and an evaluation methodology for authentication solutions that aim to unambiguously establish material good authenticity and integrity throughout an entire material good's life cycle. It focuses on the authentication of a material good and, if appropriate, its components, parts and related data:

— covered by intellectual property rights;

— covered by relevant international, regional or national regulations;

— with counterfeiting-related implications;

— otherwise with a distinctive identity.

This document is applicable to all types and sizes of organizations that require the ability to validate the authenticity and integrity of material goods. It will help organizations to determine the categories of authentication elements they need in order to combat counterfeiting-related risks, and the criteria for selecting authentication elements, after having undertaken a counterfeiting risk assessment.

Authentication solutions can be used in areas such as anti-counterfeiting, prevention of product fraud and prevention of diversion.

This document does not specify economic criteria aiming to correlate performance and costs of the authentication solutions.