Nokia said on Feb. 2 its product authentication and anti-counterfeiting joint venture with SAP and Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) had been approved by antitrust authorities.

The joint enterprise, Original1, is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and began operations on Feb. 1, Nokia said.

The new company aims to help businesses across the globe fight counterfeiting through a service that allows them to control their supply chains for unauthorized activities, according to Original1.

Plans to form Original1 were initially announced last October.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010