{"id":1773,"date":"2018-09-20T10:25:52","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T10:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/?p=1773"},"modified":"2018-09-20T11:12:17","modified_gmt":"2018-09-20T11:12:17","slug":"pioneering-blockchain-tech-in-the-fight-against-fakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2018\/09\/20\/pioneering-blockchain-tech-in-the-fight-against-fakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Press Release: We&#8217;re pioneering blockchain tech in the fight against fakes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\" https:\/\/b-locked.icons.com\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1782\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2018\/09\/20\/pioneering-blockchain-tech-in-the-fight-against-fakes\/icons-b-locked-player-montage-v2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Icons-b-locked-Player-Montage-V2-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1843\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Icons b-locked Player Montage V2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Icons-b-locked-Player-Montage-V2-300x216.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Icons-b-locked-Player-Montage-V2-1024x737.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1782 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Icons-b-locked-Player-Montage-V2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3543\" height=\"2551\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Market leader Icons worked with digital agency\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zonedigital.com\/uk\/\">Zone<\/a> to launch blockchain application<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Revolutionary tech will enhance consumer trust by tracking the provenance of signed items<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>App will also be used in the fight against fakes and frauds<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Leo Messi signed shirts among the first items to be \u2018b-locked&#8217;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><strong>London, 18 September 2018<\/strong><\/em><b><i> \u2013<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The world\u2019s largest football memorabilia company has become the first application of a pioneering blockchain solution that underpins the value of signed items with the aim of securing consumer trust. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Icons, the world\u2019s leading originator and supplier of signed football memorabilia, has joined with digital experts\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zonedigital.com\/uk\/\">Zone<\/a> to create <a href=\"https:\/\/b-locked.icons.com\/\">Icons b-locked<\/a>, an online ledger that tracks the provenance of signed items.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first items to be used in the <a href=\"https:\/\/b-locked.icons.com\/\">Icons b-locked<\/a> application will be shirts autographed by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/players\/l-z\/lionel-messi-signed-memorabilia.html\">Lionel Messi<\/a> during a private signing session with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/teams\/international-clubs\/barcelona-memorabilia.html\">FC Barcelona<\/a> superstar in mid-September.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/b-locked.icons.com\/\">Icons b-locked<\/a> uses blockchain \u2013 the distributed ledger technology that sits behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin \u2013 to create a permanent record of signed items, including details of when and where each item was signed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consumers use a unique code assigned to their product to view specific details of the item and its associated signing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The technology comes at a time when the sports memorabilia market, estimated to be worth $2-4billion<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is under threat from the rise of fraudsters manipulating online auction websites, as well as the emergence of automated robots capable of replicating signatures for fake products.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Icons CEO, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/icons_ceo\">Dan Jamieson<\/a>, says: \u201cAt Icons, we\u2019ve always gone to extraordinary lengths to provide evidence of the authenticity of our goods \u2013 not only for our customers but also for the integrity of the market.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEvery day we\u2019re asked if our products are really signed by the players themselves. Consumers need more reassurance than ever. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve worked with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zonedigital.com\/uk\/\">Zone<\/a> to create this world-first product. We want this to be the gold standard which ultimately helps the market grow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edward Freedman, Icons founder, added: \u201cI truly believe that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/b-locked.icons.com\/\">Icons b-locked<\/a> will put to rest the question of authenticity. It will revolutionise our industry and hopefully it will take us to a level that everyone will be aspiring to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Icons has been working with the world\u2019s biggest sports stars since 1999 and has entered into exclusive contracts with the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/players\/l-z\/lionel-messi-signed-memorabilia.html\">Lionel Messi<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/players\/legends-i-z\/diego-maradona-signed-memorabilia.html\">Diego Maradona<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/players\/a-k\/eden-hazard-signed-memorabilia.html\">Eden Hazard<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The company has long-term relationships with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/players\/l-z\/cristiano-ronaldo-signed-memorabilia.html\">Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/players\/l-z\/neymar-jr-signed-memorabilia.html\">Neymar Jr<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/players\/legends-a-h\/eric-cantona-signed-memorabilia.html\">Eric Cantona<\/a>, among many others. It has had the exclusive official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/uefa-champions-league.html\">UEFA Champions League<\/a> memorabilia license for the past six seasons and the worldwide deal was recently renewed for the 2018-21 cycle. Icons also has official memorabilia licences for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/fifa-world-cup.html\">FIFA World Cup<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/official-england-licensed-memorabilia.html\">FA England<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jondavie\">Jon Davie<\/a>, Chief Client Officer at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zonedigital.com\/uk\/\">Zone<\/a>, commented: \u201cFor all the hype about blockchain, practical applications so far have been few and far between.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWorking with Icons, we had an opportunity to create a blockchain application that ordinary customers can experience, understand and benefit from. The opportunities are endless. Not just in the sports memorabilia market, but in art, antiques, collectables \u2013 any market where establishing authenticity and tracking provenance is important.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more information please contact Icons CEO Dan Jamieson (<\/span><a href=\"mailto:dan@icons.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dan@icons.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or +44 20 7267 3934).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Stay up-to-date with\u00a0<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/b-locked.icons.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/b-locked.icons.com\/\">Icons b-locked<\/a>\u00a0by joining us on Telegram.\u00a0<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/icons_b_locked\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/icons_b_locked\">Click here<\/a>\u00a0to join our channel.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>About <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zonedigital.com\/uk\/\">Zone<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the UK\u2019s leading technology and customer experience agencies, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zonedigital.com\/uk\/\">Zone<\/a> is part of global professional services giant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cognizant.com\/en-uk\/\">Cognizant<\/a>, who acquired the agency in October last year. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently hailed by the London Stock Exchange as one of the UK\u2019s most inspiring companies, the agency\u2019s 250+ strategy, content and technology experts helps ambitious brands such as <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adidas, BMW, Aviva, Barratt Homes, Electrolux, Lloyds Banking Group, Maersk and Unilever<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">win in a world where digital is mission critical.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Market leader Icons worked with digital agency\u00a0Zone to launch blockchain application Revolutionary tech will enhance consumer trust by tracking the provenance of signed items App will also be used in the fight against fakes and frauds Leo Messi signed shirts among the first items to be \u2018b-locked&#8217; London, 18 September 2018 \u2013\u00a0The world\u2019s largest football&#8230; <\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more navbutton\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2018\/09\/20\/pioneering-blockchain-tech-in-the-fight-against-fakes\/\">Read More<i class=\"fa fa-angle-double-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[331],"tags":[381,429,428,439,431,427,440,22,38,441,321,442,165,438],"class_list":["post-1773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements","tag-authenticity","tag-b-locked","tag-blockchain","tag-cognizant","tag-dan-jamieson","tag-icons-b-locked","tag-jon-davie","tag-lionel-messi","tag-memorabilia","tag-official-licences","tag-press","tag-press-release","tag-signed-memorabilia","tag-zone"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfQcey-sB","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1511,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2018\/03\/06\/icons-ceo-instrumental-in-bringing-fraudsters-to-justice\/","url_meta":{"origin":1773,"position":0},"title":"Icons CEO Instrumental In Bringing Fraudsters To Justice","author":"Icons.com","date":"March 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Icons Shop Limited CEO, Dan Jamieson, and former head of A1 Sporting Memorabilia, Terry Baker, played key roles in the jailing of David Rennie from FA Premier Signings for the sale of faked signatures. As one of three expert witnesses during the trial, Dan brought forth his expertise in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Miscellaneous&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Miscellaneous","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/miscellaneous\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Work-For-Us-1-1024x499.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Work-For-Us-1-1024x499.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Work-For-Us-1-1024x499.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1744,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2018\/08\/31\/from-our-ceo-introducing-icons-b-locked\/","url_meta":{"origin":1773,"position":1},"title":"From Our CEO: Introducing&#8230; Icons b-locked","author":"Icons.com","date":"August 31, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Last night, I sat down with my wife and talked her through my day over dinner. I had just spent it briefing our team about a brand new project of ours called Icons b-locked. Icons b-locked is a new service that will forever change the way signed memorabilia is authenticated.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;From Our CEO&quot;","block_context":{"text":"From Our CEO","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/from-our-ceo\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Introducing-Main-Image.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Introducing-Main-Image.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Introducing-Main-Image.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Introducing-Main-Image.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Introducing-Main-Image.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Introducing-Main-Image.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":695,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2016\/04\/15\/how-to-buy-a-genuine-lionel-messi-signed-shirt\/","url_meta":{"origin":1773,"position":2},"title":"How to buy a genuine Lionel Messi signed shirt: A guide to avoiding fakes &#038; unofficial dealers","author":"Icons.com","date":"April 15, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When searching through Ebay and around the web for a Lionel Messi signed shirt you will be presented with a wide range of items and sellers. Naturally, without the proper experience or research, there can be many potential pitfalls involved in buying signed football memorabilia. So, here are\u00a0some handy tips\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Guides and FAQs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Guides and FAQs","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/guides-and-faqs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Lionel-Messi-Fakes-and-Frauds-Guide-1024x604.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Lionel-Messi-Fakes-and-Frauds-Guide-1024x604.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Lionel-Messi-Fakes-and-Frauds-Guide-1024x604.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":219,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2015\/11\/27\/hes-back-lionel-messi-signs-for-icons\/","url_meta":{"origin":1773,"position":3},"title":"He&#8217;s Back! Lionel Messi Signs For Icons","author":"Icons.com","date":"November 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Icons met\u00a0Lionel Messi\u00a0again on November 27\u00a0for our latest signing session with the\u00a0FC Barcelona\u00a0and\u00a0Argentina\u00a0legend. The forward was all smiles as he signed our latest range of products and with yet more signings to come over the next few days, be sure to keep your eye on\u00a0icons.com. Lionel Messi signed some new\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Signing Sessions&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Signing Sessions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/signing-sessions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lionel Messi Icons Memorabilia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/12301486_10152727154702706_6084642391490371666_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/12301486_10152727154702706_6084642391490371666_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/12301486_10152727154702706_6084642391490371666_n.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/12301486_10152727154702706_6084642391490371666_n.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":70,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2014\/10\/06\/icons-official-messi-signed-merchandise-partner\/","url_meta":{"origin":1773,"position":4},"title":"Icons.com: Official Messi Signed Merchandise Partner","author":"Icons.com","date":"October 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Icons first met Leo Messi on May 5th, 2006. Although Messi had made less than 30 appearances for club and country, Icons were convinced of his potential and made the signing happen. Today, eight years later, Messi is the biggest name in world football and has a glittering trophy cabinet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Announcements&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Leo-Messi-Signing-Sessions-For-Icons","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Leo-Messi-Signing-Sessions-For-Icons.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Leo-Messi-Signing-Sessions-For-Icons.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Leo-Messi-Signing-Sessions-For-Icons.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2743,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2022\/09\/16\/lionel-messi-signs-with-icons-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":1773,"position":5},"title":"Lionel Messi Signs with Icons Again!","author":"Dan Rushton","date":"September 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Arguably the greatest player ever to grace a football pitch has yet again signed with Icons.com, showcasing the unique and exclusive relationship we have with the Argentine record-breaker. In his third and by no means last signing of 2022, Messi added his signature to yet more incredible memorabilia. The signing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Signing Sessions&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Signing Sessions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/signing-sessions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/DSC02033-1-e1663334549773-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/DSC02033-1-e1663334549773-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/DSC02033-1-e1663334549773-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/DSC02033-1-e1663334549773-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/DSC02033-1-e1663334549773-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/DSC02033-1-e1663334549773-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1773"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1786,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773\/revisions\/1786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}