Los Angeles Kings look to put counterfeit merchandise in sin bin
After winning two Stanley Cups in three years, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings began having problems with counterfeit memorabilia.
“We started our game-used merchandise business in-house a couple of years ago,” said LA Kings executive Kelly Cheeseman to FOXBusiness’ Stuart Varney on Monday. “And we really wanted to make sure that we provided a high-end level of authenticity with that.”
That is why they created a new high-tech app that aims to keep fake sports merchandise in check not only for their fans but also for others looking to own a piece of sports history. According to Cheeseman it “changes the game.”
“When you’re talking about high-end merchandise like that at such a high retail price you need to know it’s real,” he said. “And holograms and certificates of authenticity can absolutely be duplicated.”
After pointing the camera on your smartphone towards the item, the app is able to verify whether it is a sham or authentic.
“It verifies right there with the augmented reality, it pops up you get a little physical video that pops up on your phone and verifies that it’s real and you’re the owner of that” said Cheeseman. “It locks it in through the blockchain and verifies you’re the owner all the way through.”