GS1 Germany and Digimarc Announce Collaboration to Bring DWCode to the German Market

BEAVERTON, Ore. and COLOGNE, Germany, Sept. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Digimarc Corporation (NASDAQ: DMRC) and GS1 Germany today announced at ECR Tag in Berlin their joint effort to speed the industry adoption of DWCode by GS1 Germany customers e.g. manufacturer and retailer. DWCode was developed in a collaboration between Digimarc and GS1 US and launched in June 2016. The pioneering imperceptible barcode technology delivers many benefits like faster check out, more efficient store operations to retailers, and easy provision of brand information to consumers by scanning packages with smartphones.

GS1 is a global, neutral, not-for-profit standards organization that brings efficiency and transparency to the supply chain. The organization helped launch use of barcodes over 40 years ago and now has more than two million customers, with over five billion barcodes scanned each day around the world. GS1 Germany is a member of the 112-country GS1 federation, and is the largest member organization in Europe.

DWCode is a unique, imperceptible data carrier that is repeated across the entire graphics design of a package. Because it is essentially invisible to the human eye, the DWCode does not take up any space, allowing package design to preserve real estate and retain its visual aesthetics. Consumers can scan packages using their smartphones to obtain additional product information, both pre- and post-purchase. DWCodes also increase the speed of retail checkout, allowing retailers to lower costs through greater efficiency and consumers to enjoy faster checkout.

"DWCode represents a transformational change for business, enhancing the customer experience in an increasingly technology-centric marketplace," said Jörg Pretzel, CEO, GS1 Germany. "Working with Digimarc reinforces our commitment to providing GS1 Germany customers with innovative solutions to improve their business and empower consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions. The DWCode is an exclusive GS1 protected trademark. Every GS1 Germany customer can use this new code for their improvements of efficiency."

Digimarc has become a GS1 Germany Solution Provider and is a sponsor at the GS1 Germany Knowledge Center showcasing how DWCodes improve many applications affecting the typical consumer products lifecycle. Several Digimarc applications will be featured in the Knowledge Center, demonstrating the broad applicability of DWCodes.

"GS1 Germany is highly respected as a facilitator of effective supply chain management.  This collaboration is a very promising early development in globalization of our platform. Demonstration of applications of DWCode in the GS1 Germany Knowledge Center, which hosts more than 25,000 visitors annually, will greatly facilitate awareness of DWCode and help consumer products companies, retailers, their suppliers, and other members in the industries that GS1 Germany serves to improve their businesses through timely and effective adoption of the platform," said Bruce Davis, CEO at Digimarc.