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Barcode Legalities

What are the legalities behind purchasing a barcode?

barcode legalities

A little bit of the history of barcode reseller and their legitimacy

Each and every barcode that exists today is registered with the GS1. And up until 2002, purchasing a barcode from them entailed a once-off payment – there were no annual fees that needed to be paid as there are today. When GS1 implemented the annual renewal fee system, companies who had done business with GS1 previously were outraged. They had not signed to any agreements that entailed additional costs, and so the companies took GS1 to court.

As it was, the companies won the case, and those who had previously bought barcodes from GS1 were allowed to have full ownership of the barcodes without having to pay an annual fee. However, many of these companies had hundreds or even thousands of these barcodes leftover as they had bought in bulk from GS1. This is where the business of reselling barcodes came to be, and prospective companies bought these previously owned, yet unused barcodes – still registered to the GS1 system.

Barcode legalities when purchasing from SA Barcodes

Firstly, upon purchasing any type of barcode from SA Barcodes, we will need you to accept our terms and conditions. It is not a lengthy process, nor is it a lengthy document to read through. It is however, an essential and first step to doing business. 

Once your proof of payment is sent through, we can efficiently delivery your barcode packages to you via email – our entire purchasing process is done online; making it a reliable buying procedure for customers regardless of their whereabouts. Included in the barcode package is: the barcode numbers, high resolution images of the barcode, a certificate of registration, a sizing template, your tax invoice as well as a copy of the terms and conditions. From here, your fully GS1-registered barcodes are ready to be placed onto your product packaging for use in retail stores.

Also note, when purchasing an ISBN barcode for your book, it should be noted that 5 free copies of your book needs to be submitted to the National Library’s Area of Legal Deposit in South Africa. This will ensure that the barcode number is permanently assigned to the global database.

If you have any further questions concerning the legalities that surround barcodes or purchasing them, do not hesitate to get in contact with us and our friendly staff will be happy to assist you or answer your questions. 

Image via: //www.livmax.com/legal/