The Protocol

Effective Date: 18 February 2026 (Revision 2.1)

Welcome to Vault of Time (Pty) Ltd ("The Vault"). This is a binding legal agreement between you ("The Keeper") and The Vault. By interacting with the terminal, you acknowledge that you are entering a space governed by mathematical certainty and the Curator's discretion.

1. The Asset & Digital Alchemy

Artifact Creation: Ownership of a coordinate grants the right to a one-time transmutation. The Artifact is generated using a proprietary algorithm; its output is final and unalterable.
Artifact DNA: Each asset is assigned a permanent SHA-256 hash in the Ledger. This constitutes the legal "Proof of Ownership."
Mathematical Variance: The algorithm is the artist. By purchasing, The Keeper waives the right to any claim based on "aesthetic preference." You are buying the math, not a specific visual outcome.

2. The Ratchet Auction & Chrono-Clause

The 10% Premium: The floor price of any coordinate is automatically set to the final sale price of the previous block plus a mandatory 10% "Prestige Premium."
Binding Transmission: A submitted bid is a binding offer. If yours is the winning bid, you have 48 hours to settle the transaction via the provided secure frequency.
The Chrono-Clause (Tie-Breaker): In the case of identical highest bids, the Vault operates on a *first-in-time* basis. The bid with the earliest millisecond-verified timestamp on the Vault's server is the winner.
Currency & Settlement: All international settlements must clear in the equivalent South African Rand (ZAR) value as determined by the receiving bank on the date of settlement. The Keeper is solely responsible for all cross-border wire fees, currency conversion costs, and exchange rate shortfalls.

3. Intellectual Property (IP) Rights

The Vault balance is struck between the Creator and the Keeper.

Keeper Rights: Upon full payment and etching, the Keeper is granted a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual license to display and use the Artifact for personal, non-commercial purposes.
Commercial Use: Commercial exploitation of the Artifact DNA (including printing for sale or use in advertising) requires a separate "Commercial Etching" agreement and a revised royalty structure.
Vault Rights: Vault of Time (Pty) Ltd retains the underlying copyright to the generative algorithm and the right to display all 50 coordinates as part of the collective archive.

4. Finality & No-Refund Policy

Because the Artifact is a bespoke, custom-generated digital asset created uniquely upon etching, the statutory cooling-off period under the South African Consumer Protection Act does not apply. ALL SALES ARE STRICTLY FINAL UPON GENERATION.

No Reversals: There are no chargebacks or reversals. Once the coordinate is sealed and the hash is generated, the service is complete.
Taxes: All bid amounts are strictly exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) and any other applicable local or international taxes. Where legally required, taxes will be calculated and added to the final settlement amount.

5. Compliance (FICA / KYC / POPIA)

We operate within the legal framework of the Republic of South Africa.

Verification: As a South African entity, we adhere to the Financial Intelligence Centre Act. High-value transactions will require identity verification before the coordinate is released.
Privacy: We comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Your data is for internal compliance and tax purposes only. We don't sell data—we aren't that cheap.

6. The Curator's Veto

The Vault is an archive of prestige. The Curator reserves the absolute right to reject any Legacy Message that contains hate speech, political propaganda, or content that lowers the "vibe" of the Genesis 50.

Refusal of Entry: Should a bid be rejected by the Curator, the transaction will be voided and refunded in full. We do not keep coin from those we do not wish to serve.