Understanding Copy Detection Pattern (CDP)

A CDP is printed at the very limit of what a press can resolve, packing in more detail than a scanner or copier can faithfully reproduce. When a counterfeiter photographs, scans, or reprints the mark, some of that detail is unavoidably lost. Software comparing the scanned mark against the original can measure that loss.

This makes the CDP self-policing. There is no secret key to steal and no special reader hardware to obtain. The physics of copying does the work: the first generation is genuine, and every copy after it carries the tell-tale signs of degradation.

Key Components of Copy Detection Pattern (CDP)

Why Copy Detection Pattern (CDP) Matters

Many security features can be photographed and reprinted convincingly. A copy detection pattern is built to fail that exact attack, because copying it destroys the very detail that proves it genuine. It turns the counterfeiter's own process into the evidence against them.

• Copies are detectable because copying degrades the pattern
• No secret key or special reader required
• Verifiable with a standard smartphone camera
• Can be made unique per product or batch
• Resists photograph-and-reprint attacks
• Works inside existing print and packaging workflows

How Acviss Supports Copy Detection Pattern (CDP)

Acviss Axion Label uses AI-generated micro-textures that behave like copy detection patterns, carrying detail that is mathematically impossible to replicate and verifiable with any smartphone.

Combined with Phantom Code for invisible, artwork-embedded codes, this gives brands both visible-on-scan and hidden layers of product authentication that defeat copy-based counterfeiting.