T.R.A.C.E.

Tokenized Records for Artifact Certification and Evolution

T.R.A.C.E. is a system of smart contracts and hardware to provide a digital Certificate of Authenticity (dCOA) backed by the blockchain for physical art or assets.

T.R.A.C.E. dCOAs are minted on sovereign, creator-owned T.R.A.C.E. contracts. This ensures that the dCOAs can always be traced back and attributed to the creator in a verifiable manner. Currently all T.R.A.C.E. creator contracts are deployed on Arbitrum, an Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution that combines the security of Ethereum with enhanced speed and lower cost.

T.R.A.C.E. stores additional provenance, such as sales, alterations, exhibitions, and more, on the blockchain through T.R.A.C.E. Records. These records utilize the Story Inscriptions technology developed by Transient Labs.

Records can be added by the creator at any point in the artifact‘s lifecycle. Records can also be added by T.R.A.C.E. Registered Agents, however, this requires that they validate the records by having the T.R.A.C.E. chip sign a message that is included with the on-chain inscription. This is done to protect against falsified information and is not required of the creator.

T.R.A.C.E. is comprised of 4 different components that all work together in harmony.

T.R.A.C.E. Chips

The hardware backing T.R.A.C.E. is comprised of a secure cryptographic chip. These chips have an ethereum address and can sign messages, similar to wallets like Rainbow or Metamask. The private key for each chip is generated within the chip itself, which is a secure, tamper-proof element, and is never exposed during or after the manufacturing process. Interaction with the chip is accomplished via NFC technology so an NFC enabled Android or iPhone XS and later is required.

The digital certificate of authenticity (dCOA) minted on the creator-owned contract is owned by the T.R.A.C.E. chip and can never be transferred from the chip by anyone other than the creator. In other words, the physical actually owns the its own dCOA.

For most artifacts, chips can be securely fastened in a way that would result in visual indication if ever tampered with. For textiles and garments, the chips can be embedded with embroidery, patches, sewn into a corner, and more. For other materials, the chips can be pressed into vinyl, adhered to glass, hidden under a wood inlay, and more.

T.R.A.C.E. Creator Contract

T.R.A.C.E. dCOAs are minted on sovereign, creator-owned T.R.A.C.E. contracts. The dCOA minted on the creator-owned contract is owned by the T.R.A.C.E. chip and can never be transferred from the chip by anyone other than the creator. In other words, the physical actually owns the its own dCOA.

T.R.A.C.E. Records

T.R.A.C.E. chips are used to verify T.R.A.C.E. records, which are then inscribed permanently on the blockchain using Story Inscriptions. These records store information about the history and evolution of an artifact, including ownership history, sales, display details, alterations, and more, as detailed in the T.R.A.C.E. Record Schema. Creators can add free-form records to the history of the piece and records can be added by either the creator or registered agents. Registered agents must validate records by having the T.R.A.C.E. chip sign a message included with the on-chain inscription, although creators can add records without interacting with the chip.

T.R.A.C.E. Registered Agents

T.R.A.C.E. Registered Agents are trusted third parties, such as auction houses, galleries, and museums, that validate the records added to physical art. Creators can appoint their own registered agents for their T.R.A.C.E. contracts, including their estate and managers, and they can also override any global agents, preventing them from verifying records on their T.R.A.C.E. contracts.

T.R.A.C.E. Examples