Authenticity policy

This policy sets out what the dKR mark means. It is written narrowly on purpose. An authentication system that overclaims is worse than no authentication system, because it converts a useful signal into a false reassurance.

Current status

Digital verification is not live. Products carrying a dKR mark exist, and the records behind them exist, but the page where you can scan or enter a code and see a product’s record has not launched.

Until it does, nothing on this site or on any product should be read as offering you a working verification service. If you have a concern about a specific item, contact us and a person will respond.

What the mark asserts

When dKR verification is live and returns a verified status for an item, that means:

1. The identifier exists in our records and is bound to a specific product record at a specific approved version.
2. The identifier is bound to a specific production run or lot.
3. Quality control reconciled that identifier against approved goods before it was activated.
4. The identifier has not been revoked.

That is the complete claim.

What the mark does not assert

• It is not a statement of value. dKR says nothing about what an item is worth, now or later. We do not operate a resale market and we will not imply one.
• It is not a guarantee that counterfeiting is impossible. No mark achieves that. dKR is designed to make a counterfeit detectable and reportable.
• It is not proof of ownership. Verification is anonymous by default. An item is linked to a person only if that person chooses to claim it.
• It is not a warranty. Authentication is separate from any warranty, returns or consumer rights, which come from the terms of your purchase.
• It is not a statement about the seller. A verified item tells you the item came from an approved production run. It says nothing about who sold it to you or whether they were authorised to.

How identifiers are handled

Issuance. A batch is created only against an approved product record and a planned quantity. Speculative issuance does not happen.

Binding. Each identifier is bound to the canonical product, the approved production version, the supplier, the lot or serial range, and the rights position at the time.

Custody. Print quantity, waste and custody of physical labels and tags are recorded. Unaccounted label stock is a fraud vector, so it is tracked rather than assumed.

Activation. An identifier is activated only after quality control has reconciled it against approved goods. Before activation it exists and authenticates nothing. This ordering is the core of the system.

States. An identifier is reserved, bound, active, claimed, flagged for review, revoked or retired. Only active and claimed identifiers return a verified status.

Revocation. Fraud, a recall, a rights problem or a production issue invalidates an identifier or an entire batch, with evidence recorded behind the decision. A revoked identifier will not return a verified status and we will not describe a revoked item as authentic.

When we cannot verify something

Verification will sometimes return “cannot verify” rather than a yes or a no. That happens when the identifier is unknown, when signals suggest it may have been duplicated, or when a record does not match. In those cases you will be told we cannot confirm it and given a route to support.

We will not publish the detail of what triggers a review. A public explanation of how fraud detection works is a guide to defeating it, and that is the only reason for the omission.

Privacy

Anonymous verification will always work. Checking whether an item is genuine will never require an account.

Claiming an item is optional. It is explained before you are asked, and it requires permission for that specific purpose. Consent to claim a product is not consent to marketing.

The identifier itself is an opaque token. It carries no personal data and no supplier confidential information, so scanning it exposes nothing about you or about the production chain.

Scan, consent, claim and support events are recorded using the minimum data needed to operate the service and to detect fraud.

If you have a concern about an item

Email hello@dropkultxr.com with:

• what the item is
• where and when you bought it
• what your concern is
• photographs of the item and of the tag or label, if you can

This reaches a person. We will tell you honestly what we can and cannot establish about a specific item today, given that digital verification is not yet live.

If you believe you have bought a counterfeit, tell us. We would rather know, and we will not treat a report as an accusation against you.

Rights holders and licensors

If you are a rights holder and believe product carrying a dKR mark infringes your rights, contact us at the address above with the specifics. Revocation exists for exactly this situation, and we will act on a substantiated report rather than waiting for a formal process.

Changes

Material changes to this policy will update the effective date above. Because this policy describes what a mark on a physical product means, we will not narrow the claims it makes about items already in circulation.