Member Article

Sports memorabilia fakers set to b-locked out of the market

• Market leader Icons collaborates with digital agency Zone to launch Blockchain application to combat signature counterfeiting

• In a world first, footballing icon Lionel Messi to sign 100 products to be uploaded to Icons b-locked in October

• Customers can use a unique code associated with a product to confirm authenticity and details of the signing

London. Sports memorabilia is big business, with the global market estimated to be worth $2-4 billion. However, the rise of online auction websites and the emergence of bots capable of replicating signatures has resulted in an explosion of fraudulent activity in the market.

To combat this, Icons Shop Limited, the global football and sports memorabilia brand, has joined with digital experts Zone, a Cognizant Digital Business, to launch a proprietary Blockchain-based service Icons b-locked, an online ledger that creates a permanent record to track the provenance of signed sports memorabilia.

Icons holds official merchandise licenses from the FA, UEFA and FIFA World Cup, and has exclusive contracts with global stars including Lionel Messi, Dele Alli and Eden Hazard.

The first 100 items uploaded to the Blockchain will be specially signed this month by Leo Messi and available for verification and purchase soon after. Over 50,000 assets will be uploaded to Icons b-locked in the coming months.

Icons CEO Dan Jamieson comments: “At Icons, we’ve always gone to extraordinary lengths to provide evidence of our goods’ authenticity – for our customers but also for the integrity of the market as a whole. The launch of Icons b-locked is just the latest manifestation of our constant striving to achieve that service.

“We have long-standing relationships with some of the greats of world football, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona and Neymar Junior. Yet every day we’re asked if our products are really signed by the players. Consumers need more reassurance than ever and that’s why we’ve worked with Zone to create this world-first product. We want this to be the gold standard which ultimately helps grow the market.”

Jon Davie, Chief Client Officer at Zone, adds: “For all the hype about Blockchain, practical applications so far have been few and far between. Working with Icons, we have created a Blockchain application ordinary customers can experience, understand and benefit from. And the same technology could be applied to any market where provenance and authenticity is key – from art and antiques to wine and whisky.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Zone .