Certificate Wording & Disclaimer
This section sets out the standard disclaimer text that appears on every TrackForge certificate, explains where it appears, addresses why precise wording matters, and documents the tier-specific distinctions between Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Declared certification.
Tier-specific disclaimers
Each certification tier carries a distinct disclaimer that reflects the verification depth applied. The disclaimer is embedded in the certificate at the time of generation and cannot be modified after issuance.
Gold disclaimer
The following disclaimer appears on certificates issued at the Gold tier — meaning certificates where TrackForge has performed multi-source enrichment, cross-referencing, quality gates, share validation, and a trained human operator has reviewed and approved the data:
"This certification confirms the metadata state independently verified across multiple authoritative sources, with human operator review and approval, as of the date shown. Writer ownership shares have been validated to sum to approximately 100%. The cryptographic hash of this certified state has been anchored to a public blockchain and can be independently verified at trackforge.studio/verify.1
TrackForge certifies process fidelity — that the stated methodology was followed, that multi-source corroboration was achieved, that a trained operator reviewed the data, and that the data was in this state at this time — not the absolute legal accuracy of the underlying metadata. Certification reflects the consensus of available authoritative sources at the time of verification. Music metadata is subject to change through legitimate rights transfers, corrections, and industry updates.
This certification does not constitute legal proof of copyright ownership, authorship rights, or entitlement to royalties, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for independent legal advice or formal title searches. See trackforge.studio/methodology for the full certification process description."
Silver disclaimer
The following disclaimer appears on certificates issued at the Silver tier — meaning certificates where TrackForge has performed multi-source enrichment and the composition rights metadata is structurally complete (ISRC, ISWC, duration, writer with IPI), but without dedicated human review of the individual track:
"This certification confirms the metadata state verified through TrackForge's automated multi-source enrichment pipeline and quality gates as of the date shown. The metadata is structurally complete for composition rights and mechanical royalty collection purposes. This certification does not address sound recording registration, neighbouring rights, or master rights administration. The cryptographic hash of this certified state has been anchored to a public blockchain and can be independently verified at trackforge.studio/verify.
TrackForge certifies process fidelity — that the stated methodology was followed and that the data was in this state at this time — not the absolute legal accuracy of the underlying metadata. Certification reflects the consensus of available authoritative sources at the time of verification. Music metadata is subject to change through legitimate rights transfers, corrections, and industry updates.
This certification does not constitute legal proof of copyright ownership, authorship rights, or entitlement to royalties, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for independent legal advice or formal title searches. See trackforge.studio/methodology for the full certification process description."
Bronze disclaimer
The following disclaimer appears on certificates issued at the Bronze tier — meaning certificates where TrackForge has performed partial enrichment and the metadata meets minimum certification requirements but has documented gaps:
"This certification confirms partially enriched metadata that meets minimum certification requirements as of the date shown. Documented gaps exist in the metadata — refer to the certificate details for specifics. The cryptographic hash of this certified state has been anchored to a public blockchain and can be independently verified at trackforge.studio/verify.
TrackForge certifies process fidelity — that the stated methodology was followed and that the data was in this state at this time — not the absolute legal accuracy of the underlying metadata. Gaps in the certified metadata are documented transparently. Music metadata is subject to change through legitimate rights transfers, corrections, and industry updates.
This certification does not constitute legal proof of copyright ownership, authorship rights, or entitlement to royalties, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for independent legal advice or formal title searches. See trackforge.studio/methodology for the full certification process description."
Declared disclaimer
For the Declared tier — where a submitting party enters their own metadata and TrackForge has not independently verified it — a materially different disclaimer is required:
"This certification confirms that the metadata shown was declared by the submitting party and cryptographically timestamped on the date shown. TrackForge has not independently verified the accuracy of the declared metadata. This is a record of declaration, not a verification of rights."
These four tiers must never use the wrong disclaimer. A Declared certification carrying Gold or Silver verification language would be misleading and legally dangerous — it would imply that TrackForge had verified metadata that was in fact only declared by the submitting party. Equally, a Gold certification carrying Bronze language would understate the verification depth applied.
The certification tier and its corresponding disclaimer are embedded in the certificate metadata and cannot be changed after issuance.
Where the disclaimer appears
The disclaimer is displayed on every certificate output without exception:
| Output format | Placement |
|---|---|
| PDF certificate | Footer of every page |
| HTML certificate | Footer section, visible without scrolling on the certificate page |
| Web portal | Displayed beneath the certificate details on the verification and download pages |
| Proof bundle | Included in the bundle metadata and in the human-readable certificate document |
The disclaimer text is embedded in the certificate at the time of generation. It is not dynamically loaded or subject to subsequent modification on issued certificates.
Verification page statement
The public certificate verification page (accessible without authentication) allows any party to verify a certification by submitting a hash or certificate identifier. The verification page:
- Confirms whether a valid certification exists for the submitted hash
- Displays the certification date, ISRC, certification tier, and methodology version
- Does not display any personal data (writer names, IPI numbers, splits, or catalogue names)
- Operates without cookies, tracking, or analytics
- Includes the tier-appropriate disclaimer text
- Confirms the blockchain anchoring status (pending, confirmed, or independently verifiable)
Why this wording matters
The precise wording of the certificate disclaimer is a deliberate legal choice, not a formality. The following considerations inform the current text.
Certificates in the wild
Once a certificate is issued, it enters circulation. It may be presented to counterparties, included in due diligence bundles, filed in legal proceedings, or relied upon by parties unknown to TrackForge at the time of issuance. Retroactive changes to the disclaimer text on previously issued certificates are not possible — the certificate is a fixed document, and its hash is anchored to the blockchain.
This means the disclaimer wording must be sufficient at the point of issuance to address all foreseeable contexts in which the certificate might be used or relied upon.
Key elements of the Gold/Silver wording
The disclaimer is constructed to address the following points:
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Process fidelity, not legal truth — The phrase "certifies process fidelity" is the core limitation. It establishes that TrackForge's attestation relates to the rigour of its own process, not to the absolute accuracy of the underlying data. This is the precise concept that clients and lawyers need to understand.
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Verification depth — Gold certificates explicitly reference "multiple authoritative sources" and "human operator review." Silver certificates reference "automated multi-source enrichment pipeline." This distinction ensures the reader understands the level of scrutiny applied.
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Cryptographic anchoring — The reference to public blockchain anchoring establishes that the proof exists independently of TrackForge. If TrackForge ceased to exist, the blockchain transaction would still be there and the hash would still be verifiable. This is what makes the certification independently verifiable rather than merely an assertion.
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Point-in-time qualification — The phrase "as of the date shown" limits the attestation to a specific moment. The certification is a snapshot, not a continuing representation.
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Source characterisation — The phrase "reflects the consensus of available authoritative sources at the time of verification" frames the inherent nature of music rights data correctly. Music metadata is subject to change through legitimate rights transfers, corrections, and industry updates — this is a characteristic of the domain, not a weakness in the process.
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No ownership assertion — The phrase "does not constitute legal proof of copyright ownership, authorship rights, or entitlement to royalties" expressly excludes the most common potential misuse of the certification.
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Professional advice carve-out — The phrase "should not be relied upon as a substitute for independent legal advice or formal title searches" directs the reader to seek appropriate professional guidance.
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Methodology reference — The reference to trackforge.studio/methodology ensures that any party examining the certificate can access the full methodology description, providing transparency about the process that produced the certification.
Key elements of the Bronze wording
The Bronze disclaimer adds:
- Explicit gap disclosure — The phrase "documented gaps exist in the metadata" ensures that a Bronze certificate cannot be mistaken for a fully verified record.
- Transparency commitment — The phrase "gaps in the certified metadata are documented transparently" reinforces that the certification is honest about what it does and does not cover.
Key elements of the Declared wording
The Declared disclaimer is deliberately minimal and materially different:
- No verification claim — The phrase "TrackForge has not independently verified" makes unambiguously clear that no independent verification was performed.
- Declaration framing — The phrase "record of declaration, not a verification of rights" positions the certificate correctly as a timestamped declaration, not an audit result.
Consistency across formats
The disclaimer text for each tier is identical across all certificate formats (PDF, HTML, web portal). This consistency is maintained to avoid any argument that a party received a certificate with a different or lesser disclaimer than another party, and to ensure that the legal positioning of the certification is uniform regardless of how it is encountered.
The standard disclaimer text should not be modified, abbreviated, or omitted on any certificate output. Any proposed changes to the disclaimer wording should be reviewed by legal counsel before implementation, with particular attention to the implications for certificates already in circulation.