Press release

Wels, Austria, January 30^th 2021

THE NEXT LEVEL OF DOCUMENT SECURITY

In a globalized and digital world, where fraud in ever-different forms has become an undesirable companion, organizations as well as people are seeking solutions, which build trust in the authenticity of important documents.

COLOP®, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of modern stamps and marking devices, has developed, over years, a smart and intelligent method to authenticate and verify documents by uniquely combining soft- and hardware.

The COLOP e-mark® secure, which is about to be launched shortly, marks the ultimate level on the evolution of stamps and probably represents the most powerful document security solution to date.

COLOP e-mark® secure uses the power of the Blockchain along with the innovative e-mark (the first mobile printer of its kind) technology that works on both digital- and/or paper documents.

COLOP e-mark® secure device

Whereas existing security solutions like digital signatures and holograms or watermarks fulfil their purpose either in the digital or analogue world, the COLOP e-mark® secure offering has the power to link the two worlds.

COLOP´s unique security technology is built on two pillars:

1. Authentication of documents
2. Verification of documents

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Authentication

This very document, at the bottom of every page, has already been authenticated and protected with the security imprint generated by the e-mark.

Unlike all existing digital signatures, the e-mark® secure solution will continue to work even if the document is printed on paper. On the other way round, also paper documents can be perfectly authenticated and digitized at the same time.

What is needed for authentication?

• • COLOP e-mark® secure device
  • COLOP e-mark® secure authentication app
  • Mobile device with internet connectivity

Authentication of a certificate

The COLOP e-mark® secure device is a handheld electronic marking device and the security token that allows the authentication of documents.

In the app the authentication imprint is automatically generated which is then either applied physically on a paper document by the e-mark® secure mobile printer or electronically

on a digital file.

The device has an embedded unique ID that can never be erased or manipulated. It is verified in real-time during every authentication transaction.

Verification

Documents authenticated by an imprint of the COLOP e-mark® secure can easily be verified in a few seconds, using any type of smartphone which is able to read a QR-code. While scanning the user will be automatically re-directed to the COLOP e-mark® secure verification app.

What is needed for verification?

• • Any smartphone with QR code reader (android and iOS) and internet connectivity
  • Acceptance to install the COLOP e-mark® secure verification app

Unlike existing document security solutions, COLOP e-mark® secure enables the user full traceability providing relevant and useful information during the verification process such as:

• • the location where the secure stamp was created,
  • the date & time of creation,
  • the name or ID of the responsible officer with contact information,
  • the name of the authorized organization,
  • notes made during the creation of the stamp,
  • optional third-party blockchain verification and most importantly,
  • a scan copy of the original document.

All the above information is strongly encrypted, scrambled, and protected on a blockchain. The key to de-crypt the information is exclusively stored on the QR-code printed on the document. Only document recipients have access to the key. Since the encrypted data of every document becomes a transaction on the blockchain, there is no possibility whatsoever to delete, edit or manipulate already authenticated documents.

With help of the COLOP e-mark® secure solution, all sorts of documents can be protected against forgery and misuse. Certificates of any kind, contracts, agreements, letters, testaments, vouchers, diplomas, reports, ID documents, forms, e-mail signatures and even press releases such as this one.

The verification app, for both android and iOS, has already been released while the authentication app is in a late stage of the test phase. COLOP® is about to select the first pilot customers for testing the authentication part. Interested organizations are welcome to apply.

COLOP e-mark® secure will soon contribute to restoring trust in the authenticity of important documents.

About COLOP

Based in Austria, COLOP is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of modern stamps and marking devices. With over 500 employees globally, COLOP sells to more than 120 countries.

Early in 2018 COLOP Digital GmbH was founded. Its vision is to become the worldwide leader in the fields of mobile printing & marking and document security.

For more information about the COLOP group, please visit www.colop.com; in case you are interested in mobile printing have a look at emark.colop.com.