PARIS, November 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The smart card industry has once again recognized the innovation capacity of Oberthur Technologies by selecting the product ID-One(TM) Sky as finalist for the Sesame award for the best application in the identification category at the Cartes 2009 trade fair in Paris.

Following the lead of the electronic passport, the smart card is being confirmed as the only technology capable of reliably strengthening the security of any type of identity document: national identity cards, resident permits, driving licenses, etc. While electronic features provide most of this enhanced security, the card body itself must support physical security features to allow reliable authentication of a document when the chip cannot be read.

ID-One(TM) Sky is a completely novel kind of physical security feature stemming from collaboration between Oberthur Technologies, Graphic Security Systems Corporation and Alain Boucar, Chief Superintendent of the Belgian Federal Police.

An ID-One(TM) Sky card is made from polycarbonate, an extremely robust material especially suited for use over several years. It includes a transparent window which is a decoder for invisible markings present on the photo of another card. Two ID-One(TM) Sky cards authenticate each other by laying the transparent window of one over the cardholder photo of the other. Hidden data are then revealed and any tampering with the photo is immediately detected. For the first time, a level 2 invisible security feature can be directly verified in the field without any specific or complex tool.

Hidden Indicia(TM), a patented Scrambled Indicia(R) technology developed by Graphic Security Systems Corporation, allows invisible data to be integrated into a photo. It is already used on several identity documents such as the new Belgium electronic passport manufactured by Oberthur Technologies.

Integration of a decoding transparent window in a polycarbonate smart card body requires the combined mastery of several technologies unique to fiduciary printers and smart card manufacturers. Oberthur Technologies is one of the few companies worldwide in command of such know-how.

"We have always worked very closely with the key players in the identity document security market. This makes it possible for us to offer our customers the latest generation of products for their projects," explains Jerome Lena, Product Manager at Oberthur Technologies Identity Division.

"Security of a document is closely related to the ability of the first line to control it. Oberthur Technologies has a good grasp of this issue and ID-One(TM) Sky is the first identity document which allows us to integrate a second line dimension at the time of verification," says Alain Boucar, Chief Superintendent of the Belgian federal police.

About Oberthur Technologies

With sales of 882 million Euros in 2008, Oberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies. Innovation and high quality services ensure Oberthur Technologies' strong positioning in its main target markets:

    - Card Systems: The world's second largest provider of security
      and identification based on smart card technology and associated
      services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence
      markets.

    - Identity: Leading international supplier for the manufacture and
      personalization of secure identity documents such as passport, identity
      card, driving license or health care card - traditional and electronic
      - and associated services for both governmental and corporate markets.

    - Security printing: World's third largest private security printer
      specialized in high security for the production of banknotes, checks
      and other fiduciary documents in more than fifty countries.

    - Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of
      intelligent systems to secure cash-in-transit and ATM.

Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents.

Oberthur Technologies S.A. is a limited liability company (societe anonyme) registered in France with its registered office at 50 quai Michelet 92 532 Levallois Perret, France. Oberthur Technologies S.A.'s corporate registration number is 340 709 534 R.C.S. Nanterre.

Website: http://www.oberthur.com

About Graphic Security Systems Corporation

With nearly 30 years in the Document and Brand Protection industry, GSSC has a complete security solution in the area of encoding and authentication using precision optical and digital processes, as well as multifunctional and interoperable mobile verification devices.

GSSC owns a comprehensive intellectual property portfolio, with 20 USA patents and other worldwide issued applications in anti-counterfeiting, fraud identification, online authentication and related technologies.

GSSC has provided its patented security technology to government-authorized security printing firms and major corporations since 1981 and has been featured on billions of currency documents, passports, postage stamps, stock certificates, photo IDs and other Security documents worldwide.

Trademarks: Scrambled Indicia(R) and Hidden Indicia(TM) are Trademarks of GSSC.

Website: http://www.graphicsecurity.com

SOURCE Oberthur Technologies

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