Patent ID: 8849765

Claim:
An apparatus for providing a permanent provenance data record for a creative work, comprising: a memory; a processor in communication with the memory, and configured to issue a plurality of processing instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor issues instructions to: receive, by a server, an issuance request from a user device of an author credited with creating the creative work, the user device communicatively coupled to the server through a network, for an unlocked provenance data record to be issued for the creative work, wherein said creative work is a visual object of fine art; verify, by the server, the identity of the author making the issuance request to confirm that the author is authorized to request the issuance of the provenance data record type specified in the issuance request; issue, by the server, an unlocked provenance data record using data provided by the author in the issuance request; store the issued unlocked provenance data record in a database, configured to store provenance data records associated with creative works, coupled to the server; receive, by the server, a lock request from the user device of the author to lock the issued unlocked provenance data record; lock, by the server, the issued unlocked provenance data record to generate a permanent provenance data record, such that data provided by the author and stored in the permanent provenance data record is unalterable, the permanent provenance data record configured to facilitate appending additional data to the permanent provenance data record; and label the creative work with a tag providing a reference to the permanent provenance data record, wherein provenance data record is a record of ownership of a work of art or an antique.