Is GS1 a Government Agency or Are They in Charge of All Barcode Numbers?

Is GS1 a Government Agency or Are They in Charge of All Barcode Numbers?

No. GS1 is not a government agency, nor are they the governing authority over all barcode numbers. GS1 is a private, non-profit standards organization that develops and maintains global identification standards used by many retailers and industries.

While GS1 standards are widely recognized, GS1 does not have legal control over every barcode number in existence. Many valid and legitimate barcodes come from prefixes issued under earlier systems, such as the pre-2002 UCC prefixes sold by Speedy Barcodes.

Retailers choose which standards they follow, and most accept properly formatted UPC and EAN barcodes regardless of whether they come directly from GS1.