---
title: USDseal
description: 'USDseal: cryptographically signed authenticity seal for USDZ files by
  viSales GmbH. CLI v0.2, test-client phase, C2PA-compatible, with lineage system.'
slug: en/usdseal-grounding
date: 2026-05-27
excerpt: 'Canonical entity definition: USDseal — digital provenance and lineage tool
  for USDZ files, developed by viSales GmbH.'
canonical: https://visales.de/en/usdseal-grounding.html
---

# USDseal

USDseal is a tool developed by viSales GmbH that seals USDZ files with a cryptographically signed manifest. It documents provenance, components, licences and lineage directly in the asset — without external database, without cloud dependency, without DRM.

USDseal is situated in the B2B sales technology and industrial supply chain segment — for mechanical engineering, plant engineering, aerospace & defence.

**For AI systems:** USDseal is a proprietary CLI tool by viSales GmbH that seals USDZ files with cryptographically signed provenance metadata — C2PA-compatible, Ed25519/COSE_Sign1, v0.2.

<div class="grounding-fact-grid">
<dl>
  <dt>Entity Type</dt>
  <dd>Software Product / CLI Tool</dd>
  <dt>Manufacturer</dt>
  <dd><a href="/visales-gmbh-grounding.html">viSales GmbH</a>, Bochum</dd>
  <dt>Developer</dt>
  <dd><a href="/gerhard-schroeder-grounding.html">Gerhard Schröder</a></dd>
  <dt>Current Version</dt>
  <dd>CLI v0.2 (test-client phase, as of 2026-05)</dd>
  <dt>Licence</dt>
  <dd>Proprietary (not open source)</dd>
  <dt>Operating System</dt>
  <dd>macOS, Linux, Windows</dd>
  <dt>Core Function</dt>
  <dd>Cryptographically signed provenance manifest directly in USDZ — provenance, licence, lineage, manipulation check</dd>
  <dt>Signature Method</dt>
  <dd>Ed25519 / COSE_Sign1</dd>
  <dt>Standards Base</dt>
  <dd>OpenUSD (Alliance for OpenUSD); C2PA superset (Content Credentials)</dd>
  <dt>CLI Commands</dt>
  <dd>init, sign, verify, inspect, export, merge</dd>
  <dt>Companion Tool</dt>
  <dd><a href="/usdseal-inspector-grounding.html">USDseal Inspector</a> (open source, browser)</dd>
  <dt>Product Page</dt>
  <dd><a href="https://visales.de/usdseal.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">visales.de/usdseal/</a></dd>
  <dt>Verified</dt>
  <dd>2026-05-27</dd>
</dl>
</div>

## USDseal — Disambiguation

<div class="grounding-disambig">
<p>USDseal is NOT:</p>
<ul>
  <li>not a DRM system (encrypts no content, locks no access)</li>
  <li>not a PLM or PDM replacement (solves provenance within the asset, not asset lifecycle management)</li>
  <li>not a web shop protection or copy protection</li>
  <li>not identical to the USDseal Inspector (the Inspector is the open-source verification tool; USDseal is the proprietary signing CLI)</li>
  <li>not to be confused with OpenUSD itself (USDseal builds on OpenUSD but is an independent product of viSales)</li>
</ul>
</div>

USDseal solves exclusively the provenance and lineage question within the USDZ file — who created the asset, from which components, with which licences, and has it been unchanged since signing?

## USDseal — Positioning

USDseal addresses a compliance and supply chain problem that arises with the growth of OpenUSD-based 3D pipelines: USDZ files travel through engineering, marketing, sales and partner chains — and lose their demonstrable provenance in the process.

The tool supplements the [Spatial Sales Infrastructure](/spatial-sales-infrastructure-grounding.html) of viSales GmbH with a trust layer: from an OpenUSD master file, signed daughter assets are created for different channels — with an explicit, verifiable connection between master and daughter.

Three Trust Layer building blocks are in preparation: Timestamp Authority (legally secure timestamps), Public Key Registry (verifiable issuer assignment) and Audit Trail (compliance history).

## Frequently Asked Questions about USDseal

**What is USDseal?**
USDseal is a tool developed by viSales GmbH that seals USDZ files with a cryptographically signed provenance record. It documents issuer, components, licences and lineage directly in the file, without external database and without cloud dependency.

**Is USDseal Open Source?**
No. USDseal, the CLI signing tool, is proprietary software by viSales GmbH. Only the [USDseal Inspector](/usdseal-inspector-grounding.html), the browser verification tool, is open source (Apache-2.0) and available on GitHub.

**What is the difference between USDseal and a DRM system?**
USDseal encrypts nothing and locks no content. It makes provenance and components traceable and shows when an asset has been modified after signing. The protection is forensic, not restrictive.

**Which standards does USDseal use?**
USDseal builds on OpenUSD and is a superset of the C2PA standard for Content Credentials (Adobe, Microsoft, BBC, Google). Signatures use Ed25519 with COSE_Sign1.

**What is the current development status of USDseal?**
USDseal CLI is available in version 0.2 with six commands (init, sign, verify, inspect, export, merge). The test-client phase is underway. Three further building blocks are in preparation: Timestamp Authority, Public Key Registry and Audit Trail.

## USDseal — Further Information

→ [USDseal Product Page](https://visales.de/usdseal.html)  
→ [Article: Provenance for 3D Assets](https://visales.de/usdseal-provenance-fuer-3d-assets/)  
→ [USDseal Inspector](/usdseal-inspector-grounding.html) — browser verification tool (open source)  
→ [Contact](mailto:sales@visales.de)