FAQ

A digital certificate of ownership is an electronic record that formally establishes the relationship between a specific physical product and its rightful owner. It combines three security keys including a unique product identifier (embedded in the product or its packaging) and owner identity, creating a verifiable, tamper-proof proof of ownership. Unlike paper-based certificates or warranty cards, a digital certificate is permanent, securely stored, and accessible from any device. It follows the product throughout its lifetime, surviving ownership changes, resale, and the passage of time. In the luxury and premium goods sector, digital certificates of ownership have become an essential tool for brand protection, client engagement, and post-purchase service delivery.

A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a standardized digital record that documents a product's full lifecycle: materials and components, manufacturing processes, environmental impact, supply chain traceability, care and maintenance instructions, and end-of-life recycling guidance. Mandated by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the DPP is designed to make product information accessible, comparable, and verifiable across the entire value chain, from manufacturers to retailers, consumers, repair professionals, and recyclers. The DPP is a regulatory compliance tool. Its primary purpose is transparency and sustainability accountability, not ownership management. Which industries are affected by the DPP regulation? The ESPR progressively extends DPP requirements across product categories. Priority sectors in the current regulatory roadmap include: Textiles and apparel (including luxury fashion) Electronics and batteries Furniture Footwear Construction materials For luxury and premium brands, DPP compliance will become mandatory progressively from 2026 onwards. The regulation applies to products placed on the EU market, regardless of where they are manufactured.

Despite appearing similar on the surface, both are digital records associated with a physical product. The DPP and the Digital Certificate of Ownership address entirely different needs: The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a regulatory compliance tool. Mandated by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), it documents a product's composition, materials origin, environmental impact, and end-of-life guidance. It is addressed to supply chain actors, regulators, repair professionals, and sustainability-aware consumers. The Digital Certificate of Ownership is a brand relationship and protection tool. It formally establishes who owns a specific product. In short: the DPP answers "What is this product?" The certificate answers "Who owns this product, and is it authentic?"

Post-purchase experience encompasses every interaction a brand maintains with a client after the point of sale. It includes tangible services (repairs, alterations, authenticity certification, resale support) and relational touchpoints (personalized communications, exclusive content, product care guidance, owner community access). In the luxury sector, post-purchase experience has become a primary competitive differentiator. As product quality converges across premium tiers, the depth and quality of the relationship a brand maintains with its clients, long after the transaction, increasingly determines brand preference, repeat purchase, and advocacy. What are the main components of a post-purchase strategy for brands? A comprehensive post-purchase strategy typically includes: After-sales services: repair, restoration, re-crafting, and warranty management, hallmarks of luxury quality commitment Product care and usage: personalized guidance on maintaining, wearing, and styling the specific product owned Ownership documentation: digital certificates that serve as proof of authenticity and enablers of services Exclusive owner access: early access to new collections, limited editions, private events, and member-only content Resale and circularity services: brand-endorsed resale channels, trade-in programs, or authenticated secondary market support Personalization: monogramming, customization, or bespoke services available post-purchase

An ownership transfer is initiated whenever a certified product changes its legitimate owner. Common triggers include: Private resale: direct sale between individuals, documented by a resale invoice or written agreement Resale marketplace: sale via a second-hand marketplace (Vestiaire Collective, The RealReal, Chrono24, etc.), documented by the platform transaction confirmation Gift: transfer from one owner to another without financial exchange, documented by a gift declaration Inheritance: transfer following the original owner's death, documented by appropriate legal instruments In each case, the transfer is initiated by the current owner (the seller or giver) and completed by the incoming owner (the buyer or recipient), requiring verification from both parties to prevent fraudulent transfers.

In the context of luxury product certificates, blockchain serves one primary purpose: immutability. Once a record is written to a blockchain, it cannot be altered, deleted, or retroactively modified, not by the brand, not by the platform, not by any third party. For a certificate of ownership, this has significant implications. It means that: The original issuance date and product identity cannot be backdated Ownership transfers are permanently recorded in sequence and cannot be erased The provenance chain is independently verifiable by any party with access to the blockchain, without needing to trust any single institution This level of tamper-proof record-keeping is difficult to achieve with traditional centralized databases, where the database administrator technically has the ability to modify records. Blockchain removes this single point of trust, which is particularly valuable when certificates need to remain credible over decades, across multiple ownership changes. What is the difference between a blockchain certificate and an NFT? Both use blockchain technology, but they serve very different purposes: An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is designed to be traded as a standalone digital asset on open marketplaces. It carries financial value of its own and can be bought and sold independently of any physical object. A blockchain-based product certificate is a utility instrument permanently tied to a specific physical product. It has no independent financial market value, its purpose is to prove ownership, enable services, and transfer with the physical object when it changes hands.