Terms of Service

Effective Date: May 10, 2026  |  Last Updated: May 18, 2026

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the BE Authentic™ verification platform and related services operated by Vector Normal, Ltd. (“Vector Normal,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), including the be-authentic.me website and any subdomains we operate, BE Authentic web and mobile applications, the BE Authentic verification protocol and supporting infrastructure, Licensee-published mobile applications that connect to and exchange platform-level data with the BE Authentic verification platform (including, without limitation, the Arcform Authentic mobile application published by Arcform Musical Instruments, LLP for iOS and Android), and any other product, feature, or service we make available under the BE Authentic brand (collectively, the “Services”).

By creating an account, tapping an object that uses BE Authentic, accessing any BE Authentic-operated property, or otherwise using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the Services.

1. About Vector Normal and the BE Authentic Platform

Vector Normal, Ltd. is a Colorado limited liability company. We design, build, and operate the BE Authentic verification platform, a horizontal trust and verification layer that enables physical objects to carry cryptographically signed records of their interactions and provenance. We own the patents, protocols, software, and infrastructure that constitute BE Authentic, and we license portions of that technology to third-party verticals (each a “Licensee”) that build vertical-specific products and services on top of the platform.

For example, Arcform Musical Instruments, LLP, the first BE Authentic Licensee, builds and authenticates musical instruments using the platform. When you interact with a Licensee-operated service, additional terms set by that Licensee may apply. Section 8 (The Licensee Model) describes how these relationships work.

You can reach us at:

• Email: legal@be-authentic.me
• Mail: Vector Normal, Ltd. — Attn: Legal, 1521 Blake St STE 38939, Denver, CO 80202

2. Eligibility

To use the Services, you must be at least 13 years of age, or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you meet this age requirement and that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.

If you are between 13 and 17 years of age, you may use the Services only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian, and only as a household member of an account holder who is at least 18 years of age. Household features that include minors are governed by the requirements described in our Privacy Policy.

If you are using the Services on behalf of an organization (including as an authorized representative of a Licensee), you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

3. Accounts

3.1 Account Registration

To access most features of the Services, you must register an account. When you register, you agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information, and to keep that information updated. You may register only one personal account, unless we expressly authorize otherwise. Business accounts may be operated by authorized employees or representatives.

3.2 Account Security

You are responsible for safeguarding your account credentials and for any activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us promptly at security@be-authentic.me if you suspect unauthorized access. We may suspend or terminate accounts that show signs of compromise while we investigate, in order to protect you and other users.

3.3 Identity Verification

Certain features of the Services require identity verification (for example, elevating the trust signal on your provenance entries or facilitating transactions through a Licensee marketplace). Identity verification is performed by vetted third-party providers. You agree to provide accurate verification information when requested and to bear the consequences of any false or misleading information you provide.

4. Description of the Services

4.1 BE Authentic Platform-Level Services

Vector Normal operates the BE Authentic platform, which provides:

• Cryptographic authentication and signing of NFC verification events;
• Provenance Record creation, maintenance, and verification;
• Account, identity verification, claim, transfer, and lending workflows;
• Practice tracking, group sessions, recordings, skill credentials, and accolade management;
• The public AI engine registry and dual-signing of AI-assisted outputs;
• The Licensee registry and public verification key endpoints; and
• Customer support for platform-level features.

4.2 Licensee-Operated Services

Many of the consumer-facing applications you use to interact with BE Authentic are operated by Licensees, not by Vector Normal directly. Examples include marketplace transactions, vertical-specific catalogs, payment processing, and shipping. Licensee-operated services are governed by the operating Licensee’s terms, not by these Terms, except as expressly addressed in Section 8.

4.3 Availability and Changes

We will make commercially reasonable efforts to keep the Services available, but the Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We may, with reasonable notice where practicable, modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature of the Services for maintenance, security, legal compliance, or business reasons. We will preserve the cryptographic integrity and independent verifiability of existing Provenance Records to the extent practicable, even where particular features are changed or retired.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree that you will not, and will not attempt to:

• Use the Services to violate any applicable law, regulation, or third-party right;
• Submit, register, or claim any object you do not have the legal right to authenticate or transfer;
• Fabricate, falsify, or manipulate verification events, ownership transfers, AI engine registrations, recordings, or other Provenance Record content;
• Use the Services to commit fraud, including without limitation impersonating another person, falsifying credentials, or misrepresenting the provenance of an object;
• Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to extract source code from the Services, except to the limited extent applicable law expressly permits;
• Interfere with, disrupt, or circumvent the Services or any associated security, rate limit, or access-control measure;
• Use automated systems (scrapers, bots, crawlers) to access or harvest data from the Services beyond what is permitted by the documented public APIs and applicable rate limits;
• Engage in any conduct that harasses, threatens, defames, or otherwise harms another user or any third party;
• Upload, transmit, or store content that is illegal, infringing, defamatory, obscene, or that violates the privacy or publicity rights of others;
• Use the Services to generate, distribute, or facilitate spam, phishing, or malware; or
• Use the Services in a manner that exceeds reasonable use as measured against your stated purpose and prior usage patterns.

Violations of this Section 5 may result in suspension or termination of your account under Section 16 and may, where appropriate, be reported to law enforcement or to the affected Licensee.

6. User Content

6.1 Ownership

You retain ownership of any content you submit, upload, or display through the Services, including object descriptions, photos, written stories, audio recordings, practice session metadata, and user-attested context (“User Content”). Vector Normal does not claim ownership of User Content.

6.2 License to Vector Normal

By submitting User Content, you grant Vector Normal a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to host, store, reproduce, modify (for technical purposes such as transcoding or thumbnailing), create derivative works of (for the purpose of operating the Services), publish, publicly perform, publicly display, and distribute that User Content solely in connection with operating, promoting, and improving the Services. This license includes the right to make User Content available to Licensees and to other users to the extent necessary to provide the relevant features (for example, sharing a Provenance Record with a subsequent owner of an authenticated object). The license terminates when you delete the User Content, subject to the durability exceptions in Section 6.5 and to backup and legal-hold retention.

6.3 Representations Regarding User Content

You represent and warrant that: (a) you own or have all necessary rights to the User Content you submit; (b) submitting and using the User Content through the Services does not infringe any third party’s intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights; and (c) the User Content does not violate any applicable law or these Terms.

6.4 Removal and Moderation

We may, but are not obligated to, review User Content. We reserve the right to remove or restrict access to User Content that we reasonably believe violates these Terms, infringes third-party rights, or creates risk for Vector Normal, our Licensees, or our users. Removal of User Content does not delete the cryptographic verification events associated with the underlying object; see Section 6.5.

6.5 Special Rules for Provenance Records

Provenance Records are designed to be cumulative and durable so that future owners can rely on them. Verified interaction events you contribute to an object’s Provenance Record during your ownership may remain associated with that object as part of its Provenance Record after you sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of the object, or after you close your account. Where retention is required by law or by the legitimate interests of subsequent owners, we will remove or de-identify your personal account information on request while preserving the cryptographic events themselves. Our Privacy Policy describes how we balance these interests and how you can submit requests.

7. Verified Credentials and Third-Party Verification

BE Authentic supports user-authorized verification of your physical experience with objects to third parties (for example, employers, educators, insurers, or competition organizers). You retain control over what is shared and with whom. We will not release credential data to a third party without your affirmative, per-request consent. You may revoke third-party access at any time through your account settings. We do not warrant the accuracy or completeness of user-attested metadata (notes, location names, descriptive context) that you choose to associate with verified interaction events; cryptographic verification proves that the event occurred, not that any specific descriptive metadata is correct.

8. The Licensee Model

8.1 Licensee Relationships

BE Authentic is designed to be used by multiple Licensees, each operating its own vertical platform on top of the BE Authentic trust layer. Vector Normal acts as a service provider and trust-layer operator with respect to Licensee-controlled data, and as a controller with respect to platform-level data described in our Privacy Policy.

8.2 Licensee Terms

When you use a Licensee-operated service, the Licensee’s terms of service and privacy policy will apply to that interaction in addition to these Terms. To the extent Licensee terms conflict with these Terms with respect to platform-level Services operated by Vector Normal, these Terms control. Vector Normal is not a party to, and not responsible for, transactions, content, or conduct attributable to Licensees or their users acting in their capacity as Licensee users.

8.3 Public Licensee Registry

The current list of active Licensees is published at be-authentic.me/wp-json/arcform/v1/licensees. We will not silently add new Licensees that materially change the categories of personal information shared without updating our Privacy Policy.

8.4 Disputes with Licensees

If you have a dispute with a Licensee about a transaction, object, or service the Licensee operates, you agree to seek resolution with the Licensee directly. Vector Normal may, at its discretion, assist with cryptographic verification or provide access to relevant verification records to help resolve such disputes, but is not the dispute-resolution forum for Licensee transactions.

9. AI Features

The Services include AI-assisted features whose outputs are bound to verified human interactions. Every AI engine whose output is recorded against your account is registered in our public AI engine registry, available at be-authentic.me/wp-json/arcform/v1/ai-engines. AI outputs are dual-signed by the engine and by the Vector Normal verification server.

You agree that:

• You will not attempt to register false AI engine identifiers or impersonate any AI engine;
• You will not use AI features to misrepresent the human/AI provenance of any work, performance, credential, or recording;
• You may request human review of any AI-generated assessment that produces a legal or similarly significant effect; we will provide a written response within a reasonable period.

Where AI features run on-device, your inputs and intermediate results are processed locally and are not transmitted to our servers; only the outputs you choose to save are recorded against your account.

10. Recordings and Performance Content

The Services support optional capture of audio recordings during practice sessions, lessons, rehearsals, and performances. Recordings are private by default. You control whether to publish them, share them with specific users, or include them as part of an object’s public Provenance Record. By publishing a recording publicly, you grant other users a non-exclusive right to listen to that recording through the Services.

You represent and warrant that any recording you submit complies with applicable law, including with respect to consent of all individuals whose voices, performances, or contributions are captured. You are responsible for obtaining any necessary consents and licenses for copyrighted material (including compositions you perform).

11. Intellectual Property

11.1 Vector Normal IP

The Services, including all software, designs, text, graphics, logos, icons, photographs, audiovisual content, protocols, and other materials made available through the Services (collectively, the “Vector Normal Materials”), are owned by Vector Normal or our licensors and are protected by patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, Vector Normal grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to access and use the Services for your personal, non-commercial use (or, where applicable, for the business use of the organization on whose behalf you have an account). No other rights are granted, expressly or by implication.

11.2 Trademarks

BE Authentic™, Vector Normal™, BE Hive™, and related logos and product names are trademarks of Vector Normal, Ltd. Other product names, logos, and trademarks referenced in the Services are the property of their respective owners. Nothing in these Terms grants you a right to use any Vector Normal trademark except as expressly authorized in writing.

11.3 Patents

The BE Authentic platform includes inventions covered by issued and pending patents owned by Vector Normal, Ltd. Use of the Services does not grant you any license to make, have made, use, sell, offer to sell, or import any product or service covered by those patents, except to the extent necessary to use the Services as the Services are designed to be used.

11.4 Feedback

If you provide feedback, suggestions, ideas, or other input about the Services (“Feedback”), you grant Vector Normal a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use the Feedback for any purpose without obligation to you. You waive any moral rights in Feedback to the maximum extent permitted by law.

12. Third-Party Services

The Services may include links to, or integrations with, third-party websites and services (including identity-verification providers, authentication providers, and Licensee-operated platforms). These Terms do not govern those third parties. Your use of third-party services is at your own risk and subject to the terms of those services.

13. Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. Our collection, use, and sharing of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms. By agreeing to these Terms, you also agree to the practices described in our Privacy Policy.

14. Disclaimers

The Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Vector Normal disclaims all warranties, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement, and warranties arising out of course of dealing or trade usage.

Without limiting the foregoing, Vector Normal does not warrant that:

• The Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or completely secure;
• Any defect in the Services will be corrected within any particular time frame;
• User Content, AI-generated content, or Licensee-provided content accessed through the Services is accurate, complete, or non-infringing;
• Any verification event, Provenance Record, recording, or credential will be accepted by any third party as definitive evidence of any fact; or
• Cryptographic verification will remain unbreakable against future advances in cryptanalysis or computing.

BE Authentic is an authentication and provenance platform. It is not a legal certification, a guarantee of authenticity in any formal legal sense, an appraisal service, a regulated financial product, or a substitute for professional advice. Decisions you make based on information obtained through the Services are made at your own risk.

15. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event will Vector Normal, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, or licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, or exemplary damages, including without limitation damages for lost profits, lost data, business interruption, loss of goodwill, or substitute services, arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Services, regardless of the theory of liability and even if Vector Normal has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the aggregate liability of Vector Normal and its affiliates arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of the Services will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you have paid to Vector Normal in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to liability, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In those jurisdictions, the limitations above apply only to the extent permitted by law.

16. Indemnification

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Vector Normal and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Services in violation of these Terms; (b) your User Content; (c) your violation of any law or third-party right; or (d) any false or misleading information you provide to us or to a Licensee. We may, at our option, assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you have agreed to indemnify us. You agree to cooperate reasonably in our defense of such claims and not to settle any claim without our prior written consent.

17. Termination

17.1 Termination by You

You may close your account at any time through your account settings or by writing to legal@be-authentic.me. Closing your account ends your right to access the Services going forward; certain provisions of these Terms and certain elements of your contribution to Provenance Records will survive as described in Sections 6.5 and 17.4.

17.2 Termination by Vector Normal

We may suspend or terminate your access to all or part of the Services, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe that: (a) you have violated these Terms, the Privacy Policy, or any applicable law; (b) your account is being used in a manner that creates risk for Vector Normal, our users, our Licensees, or the public; or (c) we are required to do so to comply with legal process or government request. Where practical and lawful, we will provide notice and an opportunity to cure before terminating.

17.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to access the Services ends. We may delete or de-identify your personal account information consistent with our Privacy Policy, subject to legal-hold and provenance-record retention requirements. We are not liable to you or to any third party for any termination of your access to the Services made in accordance with these Terms.

17.4 Survival

The following Sections will survive termination of these Terms: 1 (About Vector Normal), 5 (Acceptable Use, with respect to acts occurring before termination), 6 (User Content, including the durability rules in Section 6.5), 7 (Verified Credentials), 8 (Licensee Model), 11 (Intellectual Property), 13 (Privacy), 14 (Disclaimers), 15 (Limitation of Liability), 16 (Indemnification), 17.4 (this Section), 18 (Dispute Resolution), and 19 (General Provisions).

18. Dispute Resolution and Governing Law

18.1 Informal Resolution

Before filing any claim against Vector Normal, you agree to attempt to resolve the dispute informally by contacting us at legal@be-authentic.me with a written description of the dispute and your proposed resolution. We will use good-faith efforts to resolve the dispute within sixty (60) days of receipt.

18.2 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.

18.3 Binding Arbitration

If informal resolution does not resolve the dispute, you and Vector Normal agree that any claim arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of the Services will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules (or its then-current equivalent rules). The arbitration will be conducted in Denver, Colorado, or by remote means if the arbitrator so orders. The arbitrator’s decision will be final and binding, and judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. Each party will bear its own attorneys’ fees and costs except as the arbitrator may award.

18.4 Class Action Waiver

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you and Vector Normal each waive any right to bring or participate in any class, collective, representative, or mass action against the other. The arbitrator may not consolidate claims and may not preside over any form of representative proceeding.

18.5 Exceptions

The following claims are exempt from the arbitration agreement and class action waiver, and may be brought in court: (a) claims for injunctive or equitable relief to prevent or stop ongoing unauthorized use of intellectual property or violations of confidentiality obligations; (b) claims in small claims court within that court’s jurisdictional limits; and (c) claims that cannot, as a matter of applicable law, be required to proceed in arbitration.

18.6 Opt-Out

You may opt out of the arbitration agreement and class action waiver by sending written notice to legal@be-authentic.me within thirty (30) days of first agreeing to these Terms. Your notice must include your name, account email, and a clear statement that you are opting out. Opting out will not affect any other provision of these Terms.

19. General Provisions

19.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any additional terms expressly incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and Vector Normal regarding the Services and supersede any prior agreements between you and Vector Normal regarding the Services.

19.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

19.3 No Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of our right to do so later.

19.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights under them without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or by operation of law.

19.5 Force Majeure

We are not liable for any delay or failure to perform under these Terms due to causes beyond our reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, pandemic, civil unrest, government action, labor disputes, internet or telecommunications failures, or extraordinary failures of third-party services.

19.6 Notices

We may provide notices to you by email to the address associated with your account, through in-Service notifications, or by posting to the Services. You may provide notices to us by email at legal@be-authentic.me or by mail to the address in Section 1.

19.7 Electronic Communications

You consent to receive communications from us electronically. Agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications that we provide electronically satisfy any legal requirement that they be in writing.

19.8 Independent Contractors

Nothing in these Terms creates any agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship between you and Vector Normal.

19.9 Government Users

If you are a U.S. federal government user, the Services are provided as “commercial items” as defined at 48 C.F.R. § 2.101, and your use is subject to the rights and restrictions in these Terms.

19.10 Headings

Section headings in these Terms are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

20. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The “Last Updated” date at the top reflects the most recent revision. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email, in-Service notice, or other reasonable means before the change takes effect, and where required by law we will obtain your renewed consent. Material changes that increase your obligations or reduce your rights will not apply retroactively to disputes or transactions that arose before the change. Your continued use of the Services after the effective date of an updated version of these Terms constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

21. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms or our practices, please contact:

Vector Normal, Ltd.
Attn: Legal
1521 Blake St STE 38939
Denver, CO 80202
legal@be-authentic.me