ARC CANON v1.0
Status: RATIFIED
Change Policy: FROZEN (see Amendment Protocol §9)
Purpose: Establish the immutable operating constitution of the ARC / ERA system
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1. FOUNDATIONAL AXIOM (NON-NEGOTIABLE)
ARC exists to convert physical creative works into durable digital master assets that compound cultural, economic, and narrative value over time through controlled systems of scarcity, distribution, and meaning.
Everything downstream derives from this axiom.
Anything that violates it is out of scope.
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2. SYSTEM PRIMITIVES (UNIVERSAL BUILDING BLOCKS)
These primitives exist once and only once.
They may be instantiated, but never redefined.
2.1 MASTER ASSET
• The highest-fidelity digital representation of a physical work
• Color-accurate, resolution-maximized, archival-grade
• Exists independently of platforms, formats, or eras
• Cannot be recreated without invalidating the system
Rule:
No derivative, edition, token, or experience may exist without a Master Asset.
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2.2 DERIVATIVE
• Any asset generated from a Master
• Includes prints, crops, formats, media, marketing assets, AI outputs
• Inherits provenance from the Master
Rule:
Derivatives may multiply infinitely, but never gain primacy.
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2.3 METADATA CORE
• The authoritative data layer describing the Master and all derivatives
• Includes authorship, capture conditions, rights, editions, eras, state, and usage
Rule:
Metadata is not descriptive—it is governing.
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2.4 UTILITY
• Any function unlocked by ownership, access, or time
• Includes display rights, licensing, participation, monetization, governance
Rule:
Utility is earned or unlocked; it is never assumed.
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3. ERA STRUCTURE (TIME AS A SYSTEM INPUT)
An ERA is a bounded temporal phase of the ARC universe.
ERA properties:
• Defined beginning and end
• Governing ruleset
• Unique narrative tone
• Fixed economic parameters
Rule:
No asset exists outside an ERA. Assets persist across ERAs, but rules do not.
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4. ROLES (SYSTEM ACTORS)
Roles are functional, not aspirational.
4.1 ARCHITECTS
• System designers and governors
• Define rules, not content
• Cannot override the Canon
4.2 TRAVELERS
• Participants and creators within the system
• May create, own, collect, or interact
• Operate inside defined constraints
4.3 ORACLES
• Interpreters of the system state
• Provide guidance, analysis, and narrative coherence
• Do not create rules
Rule:
No role may perform the function of another.
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5. ECONOMIC LOGIC (VALUE MECHANICS)
ARC value is governed by three immutable scarcity axes:
5.1 PHYSICAL SCARCITY
• Limited by material reality (prints, editions)
5.2 DIGITAL SCARCITY
• Controlled issuance of digital representations or rights
5.3 TEMPORAL SCARCITY
• Rights and utilities unlocked, expire, or evolve over time
Rule:
All pricing, valuation, and access must map to at least one axis.
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6. PROGRAMS (EXECUTION VEHICLES)
Programs are repeatable pipelines, not projects.
6.1 MASTERWORK PROGRAM (PRIMARY)
• Converts physical works → Master Assets
• Feeds all other programs
• System halts if this program halts
6.2 CONTENT / ERA PROGRAM
• Produces Codex entries, narrative artifacts, visual language
• Anchors meaning to structure
6.3 CREATOR ONBOARDING PROGRAM
• Standardized intake
• Predictable value ladder
• Zero ambiguity entry path
Rule:
No custom exceptions. Programs replace bespoke decisions.
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7. PLATFORM HIERARCHY (EXPOSURE ORDER)
Platforms are interfaces, not the system.
Priority order:
1. Internal Control Layer (dashboards, registry, state)
2. Archive & Asset Layer
3. Public Web
4. Mobile
5. Smart TV / Immersive
Rule:
No public platform may expose logic that is not already operational internally.
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8. GOVERNANCE & CONTROL
Single Source of Truth
• One asset registry
• One metadata schema
• One canonical state per asset
State Model
Each asset exists in exactly one state at any time:
• Captured
• Mastered
• Activated
• Distributed
• Archived
Rule:
State transitions are logged, irreversible, and auditable.
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9. AMENDMENT PROTOCOL (THE ONLY WAY TO CHANGE THIS)
ARC Canon v1.0 is frozen.
Amendments require:
1. Formal proposal document
2. Justification tied to the Foundational Axiom
3. Impact analysis across:
• Assets
• Programs
• ERAs
4. Explicit version increment (v1.1, v2.0, etc.)
Rule:
No silent changes. No informal drift. No retroactive edits.
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10. DECLARATION OF FREEZE
This document is hereby declared:
• Authoritative
• Final for v1.0
• Binding across all ARC implementations
All future work must:
• Reference this Canon
• Implement against it
• Never contradict it
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OPERATIONAL CONSEQUENCE
From this moment forward:
• Design conversations are over
• Interpretation debates are closed
• Execution is the only valid activity
Anything that does not map cleanly to this Canon is either:
1. A future amendment proposal, or
2. Not part of ARC