TRACE

Artistic License, Third-Party Model Use & Participation Terms

Version: 1.0
Effective date: 8 November 2026
Artist and Rights Holder: Dijk Grootswagers
Jurisdiction: The Netherlands

1. Purpose and Scope

trace is an evolving digital art project conceived and developed under the artistic direction of Dijk Grootswagers.

Its Sculptural Editions are individually created artworks consisting of three-dimensional structures generated through voluntary human participation.

Each edition begins with a selected three-dimensional spatial boundary. Participants contribute individual strands generated from the circumstances of their participation.

These contributions collectively produce an evolving sculpture.

The artist determines when an edition is complete. Completed editions may be preserved, displayed, reproduced, exhibited, sold or manufactured as physical sculptures.

These terms govern the original creative elements of Sculptural Editions, participation in their creation and the use of third-party three-dimensional boundary models.

They do not replace the separate licenses of third-party materials or software components, nor do they change the rights associated with the original continuous trace artwork.

2. Artistic Ownership

Dijk Grootswagers retains all rights lawfully held in the original creative elements of trace and its Sculptural Editions.

These may include, to the extent protected by applicable law:

Original artistic designs, visual compositions and arrangements.
Original software, shaders and rendering implementations.
Original mathematical interpretations expressed in protectable code.
Original three-dimensional compositions and strand arrangements.
Original visual presentation and exhibition materials.
Completed digital artworks and their physical reproductions.
Original documentation, imagery and audiovisual presentations.

The artist retains the exclusive rights available under applicable law to reproduce, distribute, commercially exploit, authorize adaptations of and publicly exhibit these protected elements.

No ownership is claimed over third-party works, public-domain materials, unprotectable ideas, abstract mathematical principles or independently created works.

Public accessibility does not constitute permission to reproduce or commercially exploit protected artwork.

3. Use of Third-Party 3D Models

Sculptural Editions may use three-dimensional models created by third parties.

These models are used primarily as spatial boundary definitions.

A source model determines the permitted three-dimensional volume within which participant-generated strands may develop.

The source model is not ordinarily displayed as the final artwork.

Instead, an independently generated network of strands gradually occupies the designated volume.

The source model may influence the resulting sculpture's recognizable shape or silhouette.

Dijk Grootswagers does not claim authorship or ownership of third-party source models.

All existing copyrights and other rights in these models remain with their respective rights holders.

3.1 Permitted source models

Third-party models may be incorporated only where their applicable licenses or separate permissions authorize the intended use.

This includes, where applicable:

Importing and processing the model.
Modifying its geometry for computational use.
Using it to define an artwork's spatial boundaries.
Creating and displaying resulting sculptural works.
Commercial exhibition and sale.
Manufacturing physical reproductions.

Models released under CC0 or appropriately licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) are generally suitable candidates, subject to their actual terms and any other applicable rights.

Models subject to NonCommercial, NoDerivatives, ShareAlike or other incompatible restrictions must not be incorporated into commercial, proprietary editions without the necessary permissions or compliance arrangements.

The fact that a model is publicly downloadable, labelled free or accessible without payment does not establish permission for unrestricted reuse.

3.2 Independent artistic contribution

The resulting artwork incorporates the artist's original creative choices, which may include:

Selection and preparation of the spatial volume.
Design of the generative system.
Definition of mathematical growth and interaction rules.
Selection of visual materials and presentation.
Curation of the edition.
Determination of artistic completion.
Final presentation and physical realization.

Participant-generated geometry is created through the edition's generative process rather than copied directly from a predetermined arrangement of strands.

The resulting artwork may nevertheless remain subject to rights in the source model where protected elements of that model have been adapted or reproduced.

Nothing in these terms overrides those rights.

3.3 Attribution and provenance

For every third-party source model, the artist will maintain an appropriate provenance record identifying, where available:

Model title: Original title
Creator: Original creator or rights holder
Source: Original publication or download location
License: Applicable license and version
Changes: Relevant modifications or processing
Use: Spatial boundary for a Sculptural Edition

Required attribution will accompany the artwork through an appropriate combination of its edition record, online credits, exhibition documentation, provenance certificate or accompanying materials, as the source license requires.

Attribution does not imply that the source model's creator endorses the finished artwork.

4. Participant Contributions

Participation in Sculptural Editions is voluntary.

A participant may contribute to an active edition by completing the designated contribution process.

The process may require visually recognizing the currently displayed artwork through a separate camera-equipped device.

An accepted contribution generates one new strand according to the edition's established mathematical rules.

Strand generation may be influenced by information such as:

Contribution time.
Contribution sequence.
Voluntarily supplied metadata.
Non-identifying device characteristics.
Existing geometric relationships.
Available space within the sculpture.

The precise data used is subject to the project's privacy notice.

Contributing does not give a participant ownership of the overall artwork or a right to control its development.

4.1 License for participant-provided material

By affirmatively accepting these participation terms and submitting a contribution, the participant grants Dijk Grootswagers a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable and sublicensable license, lasting for the applicable duration of intellectual property protection, to use any protectable material the participant intentionally submits for incorporation into the artwork.

This permission includes incorporation, adaptation, reproduction, public display, distribution, archival preservation, physical manufacturing and commercial exploitation of the resulting edition.

The participant confirms that they have the necessary rights to submit any original text, image or other protectable material voluntarily provided.

The participant receives no automatic entitlement to royalties, ownership shares, profits or compensation from subsequent exhibition or sale.

Where a contribution consists solely of factual metadata or automatically generated geometry in which the participant holds no intellectual property rights, this clause does not create such rights.

Nothing in this clause transfers ownership of the participant's unrelated intellectual property.

4.2 Attribution

Individual participant attribution is not guaranteed.

The artist may acknowledge contributors collectively or through optional display names.

Where legally required, applicable authorship and moral rights remain respected.

4.3 Personal data

These terms do not constitute a waiver of privacy or data-protection rights.

Any collection or processing of personal data must comply with applicable privacy legislation, including the GDPR where relevant.

Camera-based artwork verification should process imagery locally where technically feasible.

Any processing, transmission or retention of camera-derived information must be disclosed in a separate privacy notice.

5. Authenticity and Completion

Each Sculptural Edition has a distinct identity and independent contribution history.

During its active period, accepted contributions become part of its evolving structure.

The artist alone determines when the artistic development of an edition is complete, subject to any separately agreed contractual obligations.

At completion, the edition's authoritative geometry is finalized.

The completed artwork may be preserved together with:

Its unique edition identifier.
Its source model provenance.
Its mathematical interpretation version.
Its contribution count.
Its creation and completion dates.
A cryptographic integrity record.
Its final three-dimensional geometry.

These records support the artwork's authenticity and provenance.

They do not themselves constitute governmental copyright registration or guarantee that all elements qualify for copyright protection.

6. Digital and Physical Editions

Completed Sculptural Editions may be presented digitally or manufactured in physical form.

Physical realization may include three-dimensional printing, casting, fabrication or other sculptural techniques.

Permitted materials may include bronze, silver, brass, steel, resin or other suitable media.

Physical production may require technical adaptations to meet structural and manufacturing requirements.

Where such adaptations are made, they should be documented as part of the edition's manufacturing record.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, the sale or transfer of a physical sculpture transfers ownership of that physical object only.

It does not transfer copyright or grant permission to:

Manufacture additional copies.
Reproduce the underlying digital geometry.
Sell unauthorized digital editions.
Create commercial derivative products.
Sublicense the artwork.
Use the artwork as the basis for unauthorized commercial reproductions.

Any permitted reproduction remains subject to applicable third-party model licenses and mandatory legal exceptions.

7. Galleries and Exhibitions

Galleries, museums and collectors may receive specific licenses to exhibit or reproduce completed artworks.

Such permissions must be established through an applicable written agreement.

A gallery's possession of a digital file or physical sculpture does not automatically grant unlimited reproduction or commercial licensing rights.

Unless otherwise agreed, exhibition credits shall identify:

trace — Sculptural Edition
Artist: Dijk Grootswagers

Additional source-model credits must be included where required by the relevant licenses.

No gallery, distributor or purchaser may represent itself as the original creator of the artist's protected elements.

8. Public Access and Permitted Viewing

Public access to a digital artwork grants permission to view it through the interfaces made available by the artist.

Personal, non-commercial photographs, screenshots and ordinary social-media sharing are permitted where the edition is designated as shareable, applicable third-party licenses permit the use, and the original artwork is credited to Dijk Grootswagers.

This permission does not authorize distribution of complete underlying geometry files or commercial reproductions.

Except where separately permitted or legally authorized, users may not:

Reproduce or commercially distribute protected artwork.
Manufacture unauthorized physical copies.
Redistribute proprietary artwork files.
Remove or falsify authorship and provenance information.
Misrepresent themselves as the creator.
Use protected artwork commercially without permission.

Statutory rights, limitations and exceptions remain unaffected.

9. Third-Party Rights Take Precedence

This license governs only rights held or lawfully controlled by Dijk Grootswagers.

It does not relicense third-party assets.

Where an artwork incorporates protected third-party material, that material remains subject to its original license or separately granted permissions.

If a source license requires attribution, compatible licensing of adaptations or other conditions, those requirements must be honored.

No provision in this document is intended to impose restrictions prohibited by an applicable third-party license.

Where a source model's license conflicts with the intended commercial or proprietary treatment of an edition, the artist must obtain additional permission, select a compatible model or adjust the edition's licensing arrangements.

10. Software and Technical Components

The source code, technical infrastructure, third-party libraries and rendering components used to produce trace may have separate licenses.

This artwork license does not replace those software licenses.

Open-source components remain subject to their respective terms.

Use of the artwork does not grant access to proprietary server infrastructure, private mathematical implementations, authentication secrets or administrative systems.

Any independently protectable technical methods remain subject to applicable intellectual property law.

11. Preservation of Rights

No rights are transferred by implication.

Permissions not expressly granted remain reserved to their lawful rights holders.

The artist may authorize individual exhibitions, reproductions, commissions, adaptations or commercial arrangements through separate agreements.

No provision limits rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

12. Disclaimer and Liability

The artwork and participation services are provided subject to their stated functionality and applicable legal obligations.

The artist does not guarantee uninterrupted availability, permanent public access or compatibility with every device.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, liability for indirect or consequential losses arising from voluntary use of the service is excluded.

Nothing excludes liability where exclusion is prohibited by law, including liability arising from intentional misconduct where applicable.

13. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Netherlands.

Disputes arising from these terms shall be submitted to a competent court in the Netherlands, subject to applicable mandatory jurisdiction and consumer-protection rules.

Mandatory legal rights remain unaffected.

14. Changes and Versioning

Future editions may operate under revised terms.

The applicable terms and source-model licenses should be recorded with each edition.

Revisions do not retroactively remove existing third-party rights or previously granted irrevocable permissions.

15. Copyright Notice

trace

An evolving artistic project by Dijk Grootswagers.

Third-party source models and other materials remain the property of their respective rights holders and are used under their applicable licenses.

End of License — Version 1.0