Tuesday 14 April 2009

Darren Olivier

The hologram: a blessing or a curse?

MMegi Online publishes an insight into Botswana's use of holograms to dissuade pirates from ripping off local musicians claiming too that Botswana's copyright laws are more advanced than their neighbours South Africa. The article entitled Hiccups, but hologram helps anti-piracy campaign looks at the practical difficulties of adopting the hologram which include cost (the holograms are sold to artists) and the fact that musicians need to travel to Gaborone obtain the device. However, the device is hailed too, as an effective anti-piracy tool.

Apparently, "Kenya will be introducing the hologram this year following the review of their copyright law. Other countries such as Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Malawi are already using the hologram" and " South Africa's copyright law is old and like most laws it does not have the provision for the use of the hologram."

This blogger suggests that the requirement to purchase holograms is important from a communication and branding point of point of view; it sends a message that the work is authentic carrying the attitude that authenticity is value and that copying is wrong. Holograms themselves are capable of being copied and so this blogger feels that the device per se will not truly address the problem.

Darren Olivier

Darren Olivier

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SJ
AUTHOR
15 April 2009 at 15:23 delete

From pharmaceutical experience in SubSaharan Africa, holograms can be copied (and copied well)in a comparatively short period of time and this is when the hologram is specific to one company or product. Where there is one hologram design for an entire industry, the impetus for counterfeiters to copy that hologram is even greater. Whilst I agree that holograms can be an effective tool in the fight against piracy there is also the risk that consumers may adopt the attitude that "hologram is present so must = genuine" whe within a matter of months this may not be the case.

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Romain
AUTHOR
17 April 2009 at 10:17 delete

I completely agree with Sarah. Indeed, counterfeiters are used to reproduce holograms and it takes few weeks to reproduce a new one! So, I do not think it is a real mean to fight counterfeits!

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