European Article Numbering
Also called: EAN, International Article Number(IAN) or Global Standards One(GS1)
European Item Numbering(abbreviation: EAN-13) is an international system for converting item numbers to a bar code. EAN codes and barcodes can be used to automate checkout operations and inventory records.
The United States uses a different standard, Universal Product Code(UPC), from which EAN is a derivative. An example of a standard within EAN is ISBN, the international standard for identifying books.
GS1
The EAN standard is managed by GS1. This international organization with 112 members worldwide develops and manages various standards around product identification and the exchange of data and characteristics.
