Object ID is an international standard for describing cultural objects. It has been developed through the collaboration of the museum community, police and customs agencies, the art trade, insurance industry, and valuers of art and antiques. The Object ID project was initiated by the J. Paul Getty Trust in 1993 and the standard was launched in 1997. It is being promoted by major law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Scotland Yard and Interpol; museum, cultural heritage, art trade and art appraisal organisations; and insurance companies. Having established the descriptive standard, the Object ID project now helps to combat art theft by encouraging use of the standard and by bringing together organisations around the world that can encourage its implementation. In 1999, the Object ID project found a new home at the Council for the Prevention of Art Theft (CoPAT). CoPAT was established in 1992 and is now a registered charity in the UK. Its mission is to promote crime prevention in the fields of art, antiques, antiquities and architecture. Its members are drawn from law enforcement, the crime prevention field, heritage organisations, historic house owners, the insurance industry and the art trade. CoPAT has participated in the project since its early stages and has played a significant role in the development of the standard. To download a leaflet about CoPAT as a PDF file, click on this icon. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. Follow this link to Adobe’s site to download a free copy: Acrobat Reader 4.0 *Object ID ™ is a trademark of the J. Paul Getty Trust. Use of this trademark is prohibited without permission from: The Council for the Prevention of Art Theft, The Estate Office, Stourhead Park, Stourton, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 6QD, United Kingdom. © The J. Paul Getty Trust, 1999. All rights reserved.