The Smiley Company’s licensed products are instantly recognizable and celebrated around the world—but with global popularity comes global challenges, especially in the fight against counterfeiting. To address this, The Smiley Company has joined forces with KURZ SCRIBOS, a trusted provider of brand protection and digital product authentication, to launch a cutting-edge security solution.

This partnership, which spans Smiley®, SmileyWorld®, S.W.Smiley®, Mini Smiley®, Smiley Sports®, and Newmoji®, introduces the ValiGate® security label, seamlessly integrated into the SCRIBOS 360 digital platform, to provide a new standard of protection and interactivity for The Smiley Company’s global product range. This strategic move ensures that their products remain authentic and protected while also offering an engaging digital experience to consumers.

Enhanced security and engagement for The Smiley Company’s licensed products

At the heart of this collaboration is the ValiGate® security label, developed by KURZ SCRIBOS. This advanced security solution delivers both physical and digital protection, empowering licensees and customers alike.

Key features of the solution include:

• Advanced anti-counterfeiting technology embedded in every label for reliable authentication
• Dynamic design features that are easy to verify visually, yet impossible to replicate accurately
• Unique digital identities, enabling product-level authentication via the SCRIBOS 360 platform
• Interactive digital experiences, connecting customers directly with Smiley content through simple label scans

This integrated solution ensures a smooth, secure process for licensees while giving The Smiley Company detailed oversight of its product flows and potential counterfeit hotspots in real time.

Integrating intelligence with the SCRIBOS 360 digital platform

In addition to the physical label, the solution connects each product to the SCRIBOS 360 digital platform, unlocking the power of data for real-time brand protection and engagement.

Benefits include:

• Real-time counterfeit detection, identifying threats and vulnerabilities across global markets
• Volume tracking, providing transparency in distribution and production
• Personalized customer experiences, including news, store locators, and social media content—all accessible via a quick scan
• Interactive digital design, offering a new level of user engagement and brand storytelling
• Dedicated landing pages, powered by our SCRIBOS 360 customer interaction module, with 12 tailored experiences supporting Smiley’s sub-brands— Smiley, S.W.Smiley, Smiley Sports, Smiley World, Mini Smiley, and Newmoji — offering brand-specific storytelling and regionally adapted content

This powerful blend of security and smart data allows Smiley to respond quickly to threats while also creating new ways to interact with its audience.

Building a future of secure and joyful licensing

By combining their commitment to creativity with KURZ SCRIBOS’ technological expertise, The Smiley Company is reinforcing its mission to spread positivity—with full confidence in the integrity of every product.

This collaboration marks a new era for The Smiley Company’s global licensing program, offering unmatched protection, valuable insights, and enriched consumer experiences.

For more information on how to launch your own licensing initiative with KURZ SCRIBOS, contact Frédéric Etienne @ Frederic.Etienne@scribos.com.

For more information about KURZ SCRIBOS security solutions, visit www.kurz-scribos.com.

About The Smiley Company
The Smiley Company is a global leader in licensing, renowned for its iconic Smiley brand that spreads positivity and happiness across various products and collaborations. With a commitment to innovation and excellence, The Smiley Company continues to inspire joy in the hearts of consumers worldwide through its diverse range of licensed offerings. Smiley has been spreading joy and optimism to generations since French journalist Franklin Loufrani created the trademarked brand in 1972. Originally a gesture to urge readers of the newspaper France-Soir to ‘Take the Time to Smile’, soon this ubiquitous symbol of happiness became the most recognised and important icon in graphic design. In 1996 Nicolas Loufrani, son of Franklin, took over the helm, steering Smiley into the digital revolution. Creating a whole new way of communicating, he added a variety of facial expressions to the original Smiley – his icons paving the way for a universal graphic language used by billions of people today. Continuing to influence modern culture, Smiley is one of the world’s top global licensing enterprises collaborating on high-profile activities spanning fashion, art, homeware, food and beverage. Major partnerships include Loewe, Moschino, Raf Simons, Eastpak and LA-based Market, who produce the Market Smiley Basketball – a cultural icon. Maintaining Smiley’s friendly mantra, Loufrani created Smiley Movement in 2017. The non-profit community works across multimedia platforms aiming to inspire positive change in society addressing urgent societal and environmental problems. For more information, please visit SMILEY.COM.

About KURZ SCRIBOS
KURZ SCRIBOS is a market-leading provider of anti-counterfeiting solutions. We develop and manufacture innovative security markings that can be combined with state-of-the-art digital tools. These effective brand protection solutions enable brand owners around the world to combat counterfeiting, grey market trading, and unauthorised production. They also open up avenues for customer interaction, track & trace, and market analysis. Based on comprehensive consulting, we develop and implement customised solutions from a single source. With our international team, we serve brand owners from the automotive, chemical, spirits, food, cosmetics, and luxury goods industries, among others. As a wholly owned subsidiary of the KURZ Group, we benefit from the extensive experience and global presence of our parent company in the international market for security applications, including the protection of banknotes and ID cards. Furthermore, KURZ as the global leader in thin film technology offers a comprehensive portfolio of products for surface finishing and decoration, rounded off by an extensive range of stamping machines and stamping tools. The KURZ Group has more than 5,500 employees at over 30 sites worldwide and produces under standardized quality and environmental standards in Europe, Asia, and the USA.