The closure of a platform can remove the interface, the accounts, the histories and the tools even if the file or the token continues to exist. Do not wait for the last day: identify what the service controls and what you can keep outside it.
Separate the layers
Make a map of:
- artwork or file;
- metadata;
- public page;
- account;
- contract;
- database;
- token or on-chain record;
- external storage;
- domain;
- community and communications;
- sales history.
A token remaining on a chain does not guarantee that the image, the description or the interface remain available. The guide on How OBJKT works explains the separation between platform, token and file.
Read the closure notice
Save the complete announcement, its date and any later versions. Extract:
- closing date;
- functions that stop operating earlier;
- export period;
- migration tools;
- handling of balances;
- support;
- temporary retention;
- fate of data and content.
Do not rely on screenshots without a URL or a date.
Review the contract
Download the terms you accepted, the privacy policy and the licences. Look for clauses on termination, suspension, export, deletion, availability, liability and changes to the service.
A commercial promise of permanence does not replace a precise contractual obligation. Nor should you assume that the platform keeps a usable copy.
Export the files first
Download originals, derivatives, thumbnails, videos, audio, code, certificates and documentation. If the service offers several sizes, keep the master and the derivatives needed to rebuild the presentation.
Do not use a browser download as the only copy if a higher-quality export exists.
Export metadata and context
Keep:
- title, authorship and date;
- description;
- edition and number;
- identifiers;
- URL;
- version history;
- sales and transfers;
- credits;
- tags;
- licences;
- relationships between file and token;
- captures of the interface.
Metadata can be as important as the file for identifying the artwork and proving its history.
Verify integrity
Calculate checksums, open the files and compare them with the public version. Document files that are missing, degraded or inaccessible. Test restoration outside the platform.
A successful export does not prove that everything was exported.
Check storage and dependencies
Find out whether the files are:
- on the platform’s servers;
- in the artist’s own storage;
- on IPFS or another network;
- linked from a contract;
- embedded directly in a chain;
- served by a third party.
Keep the identifiers and verify each path. If the platform was constitutive of the artwork, document which behaviour is lost and whether the migration produces a different version.
Portability of personal data
The GDPR recognises a right to data portability (Article 20). Its recital 68 describes it as the possibility of receiving the personal data supplied by the data subject in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable and interoperable format, and of transmitting them to another controller. It applies when the processing is based on consent or on a contract and is carried out by automated means.
It is not a general right to export the artwork, the software, all metadata, followers, inferred statistics or functionality. Separate the request for personal data from the recovery of the artistic content.
Digital Services Act
The Digital Services Act regulates, among other things, content moderation and the internal complaint systems of online platforms in response to certain decisions. The text of its articles could not be checked in this review, so its requirements and deadlines are not detailed.
It does not turn a company’s decision to close a platform into a universal right to keep the service running or to recover every file. Analyse whether the measure is an individual decision covered by the Regulation or the general end of the service.
Consumer and other regimes
Consumer law may be relevant when a person acts as a consumer in relation to a digital service. A professional artist or an institution may have a different status.
If money, assets or significant losses are involved, keep evidence and seek advice before the final deadline.
Migrate with traceability
When moving the artwork:
- assign a version;
- keep the previous state;
- record changes;
- update URLs and documentation;
- test functions;
- review rights and licences;
- communicate the new access;
- keep the closure notice.
The guide on obsolescence helps to choose a strategy. For a web-based artwork, see How to preserve net art.
Communicate without exaggerating
Inform owners, collectors, galleries or institutions of:
- the closure;
- verified effects;
- actions taken;
- new location;
- elements lost;
- version changes;
- updated instructions.
Do not state that ‘the artwork remains intact’ just because the token or a file is still accessible.
Learn from the closure
After migrating, review your dependency policy:
- local copy of masters;
- periodic export;
- metadata outside the service;
- controlled domains and accounts;
- redundant storage;
- degraded mode;
- closure plan;
- updated contacts.
If an artwork depends on the internet or an API, document alternatives with the guide on dependencies in exhibition.
Documented case: MakersPlace
According to Cointelegraph, MakersPlace announced the end of its operations on 15 January 2025. It immediately disabled minting and new accounts, announced a transfer tool for February and a deadline of June for taking NFTs off the platform. The company said that NFTs minted on Ethereum would remain accessible on secondary marketplaces; that does not in itself guarantee the continuity of the interface or of all services.
The case illustrates the difference between an on-chain record, custody, archive, metadata and service. It is not a rule that applies to all platforms.
Checklist
- The announcement and the terms are saved.
- Layers and dependencies are identified.
- Original files and derivatives were exported.
- Metadata and history were kept.
- Exports were opened and verified.
- External storage and links were checked.
- Personal data were separated from the artistic content.
- The migration strategy is documented.
- Changes and losses were communicated.
- There is a plan for the next closure.
Further reading
- Preserving a digital artwork.
- How to preserve a web-based artwork or net art project.
- Obsolescence: migrate, emulate or reinterpret an artwork.
- How to exhibit an artwork that depends on the internet or an API.
Sources
- BOE, General Data Protection Regulation. Article 20 and recital 68.
- EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, Digital Services Act. General reference.
- Cointelegraph, Digital art venue MakersPlace shuts down. Secondary source used to document the case.
Status: Verified. Reviewed: 12 October 2026. The possibilities of recovery depend on the architecture, the contract and the applicable regime. If you find a mistake, write to me.