Terms of Use and Legal Notice

1. Acceptance of these terms

Use of this website is subject to these terms and applicable law. By accessing and continuing to use the website after having a reasonable opportunity to review these terms, you indicate your acceptance to the extent that acceptance in this manner is recognised by applicable law. If you do not agree, you should stop using the website.

2. Purpose and status of the website

ArtTraceX is an independent international information website that brings together reports about art theft, forgery, legal disputes, recovery and restitution.

The website is not a law enforcement agency, an official police database, an authentication body, an appraisal service or a legal adviser. References to police agencies, museums, news organisations or other bodies do not imply partnership, accreditation or endorsement.

3. Accuracy, updates and historical context

Information is based on the sources cited or linked in individual reports. We make efforts to check content and correct errors, but do not guarantee that all information is complete, free from error or current at all times.

Historical reports reflect the information available at the date indicated. Later developments may include recovery, restitution, a change of attribution, the end of an investigation or a subsequent legal decision.

An artwork’s appearance in a theft report does not necessarily mean it is still missing. Its absence from this website does not establish that it has never been stolen or that no restrictions or legal claims affect it.

4. Allegations, attribution and legal proceedings

Allegations, suspicions, investigations, charges, judgments, appeals and final convictions are distinct stages. Mention of a person or organisation is not an independent finding by this website of guilt or liability.

Artist names, attributions and artwork descriptions follow the cited sources and the qualifications stated. Publication is not a certificate of authenticity, proof of ownership or a finding that an artwork is a forgery.

5. Your responsibility and reliance on information

You use the website and make decisions based on it at your own risk and responsibility, subject to rights and obligations that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Do not rely on this website alone when buying, selling, insuring or valuing art, checking authenticity or ownership, or taking legal action. Carry out independent checks with current sources, the relevant authorities and appropriately qualified professionals.

Do not confront anyone or publish accusations based solely on a report here. Information about a suspected offence or artwork should be passed to the appropriate authority.

6. Reward offers

Reward notices document offers made by third parties. The website is not the reward provider, does not administer payment and does not guarantee availability, eligibility or the amount payable.

Offers may be historical, conditional, withdrawn or subject to terms not reproduced in full here. Verify current conditions directly with the reward provider. Finding an artwork does not, by itself, establish a right to payment.

7. Images and copyright

Rights in artworks, photographs and other third-party materials remain with their respective rights holders. Display on this website does not grant permission to copy, redistribute or use those materials commercially.

Images may show an artwork before theft, after recovery, a detail, an identification sketch or contextual material, as explained in the caption. Images are not a substitute for professional identification.

You may share links to website pages. Copying content or reusing images requires appropriate permission or another lawful basis, while respecting applicable rights and credit requirements.

8. External links and services

The website includes links and content from external services. The operator does not have full control over their availability, content, security or privacy practices.

A link is not a recommendation, endorsement or guarantee of reliability. Use of an external service is subject to that service’s own terms and policies.

9. Permitted use and security

Use the website lawfully and respect the rights of others. Do not disrupt its operation, bypass security measures, impersonate its operator or use its content in a misleading, threatening or rights-infringing way.

Continuous availability or complete protection against faults and security incidents is not guaranteed. The operator may change or remove content and restrict abusive use, subject to applicable law.

10. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the operator will not be liable for loss arising from reliance on inaccurate, incomplete or outdated information, decisions made by users or use of external services.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, authorises unlawful publication or limits mandatory rights of users or third parties.

11. Privacy and changes to these terms

Loading maps, remotely hosted images or other external content may involve connections to third-party services, which may receive technical information such as your IP address and browser details. Their privacy practices may also apply to those connections.

On eligible visits, ArtTraceX uses Google Analytics to count page views without Analytics cookies or advertising features. We send public page paths without query strings or fragments and exclude form entries and uploads. Google receives technical information needed for the connection. We honour Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track for this measurement.

Acceptance of these terms does not replace any separate privacy information or consent required by applicable law, including consent for cookies or personal data processing where required.

These terms may be updated. The revision date will appear on this page, and material changes will be brought to users’ attention appropriately. Separate renewed consent will be requested where required by applicable law.

12. Art Hunters: information and reporting directions

Art Hunters is a browsing and discovery feature using real documented cases. Its adventure presentation does not make it a police investigation, an authentication service or a reward programme operated by ArtTraceX. Locations describe a documented connection to a case, not the present whereabouts of an artwork. A resemblance or search result is not proof of identity, theft, wrongdoing or ownership.

This feature does not receive or forward photographs, attachments or reports. It directs visitors to the sources and organisations identified in case files, or to local or national police. News articles are reference sources, not reporting services. Confirm the current case status, recipient and reporting method with the responsible organisation before transmitting information. ArtTraceX is not responsible for external investigations, decisions, services or payment obligations.

Keep only information obtained lawfully. Do not trespass, confront people, publish accusations, purchase an object in order to recover it, or attempt to seize property. Do not disclose sensitive personal information publicly. For urgent danger, contact the appropriate local emergency service.

Offers may be shared between several works or informants, conditional, expired, withdrawn or no longer current. Only the provider can confirm eligibility, reporting requirements, deadlines and payment. ArtTraceX does not offer, fund, administer or guarantee any reward or outcome. Nothing in these terms excludes liability or rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

13. Email alerts and subscription privacy

Email alerts are a separate, optional service from clue reporting. You may follow a documented area, reward notices, or a specific case. A subscription becomes active only after confirmation from the email link; no account is required. At most one update is sent per UTC day, and only when matching information changes. Email delivery, timing and receipt are not guaranteed.

We store the email address, selected topic or place, language, confirmation state and subscription dates, together with a record of previously notified case information to avoid repeat alerts. A daily hash of the submitting IP address supports abuse prevention; the raw IP address is not saved in the subscription record. Email addresses and message content are sent to our email delivery processor, Resend, solely to deliver confirmation and alert emails. Its processing is governed by its own privacy terms. Addresses are not published or sold by this feature.

Confirmation links expire after 48 hours; associated unconfirmed subscriptions are deleted by the next enabled dispatch check. Email links allow confirmation or cancellation without a password. Unsubscribe removes that subscription and its associated queued delivery records; other separately confirmed subscriptions remain active. An email already being transmitted may still arrive. Internal delivery records are retained for up to 30 days, while active subscription records remain until cancellation or administrative removal.

Notifications summarise the linked sources; they do not authenticate an artwork, establish ownership or wrongdoing, or guarantee a reward. Confirm the latest status, reward terms and reporting instructions directly with the responsible organisation. The newsletter and local alerts sign-up page can record an optional advance request while delivery is inactive. We retain the email and selections for launch confirmation, and the receipt provides links to withdraw newly recorded requests. Advance requests are not active subscriptions.