1. A computer implemented method for mitigating distribution of a counterfeit product, the computer implemented method comprising: generating in a first application executing in a first data processing system, a first set of identifiers to associate with a product to be manufactured, the first set of identifiers including identifiers corresponding to a customer reference number (CRN), a customer acknowledgment number (CAN), and a merchant acknowledgment number (MAN), wherein the CRN uniquely identifies the product, the CAN is used by a customer for determining authenticity of the product, and the MAN is used by a merchant for determining authenticity of the product; associating the first set of identifiers with the product and a status indicator; setting the status indicator to a first value representative of the product being an original product and the product being available for sale; and transmitting the first set of identifiers from the application to a second application.