Last updated: July 27, 2026
OpenStuds is operated by BrickVault, Kleiner Sandberg 8, 21481 Lauenburg/Elbe, Germany. In these Terms, "OpenStuds," "we," "us," and "our" refer to the operator of the OpenStuds marketplace. References on the site to BrickVault describe the operator and related brand family.
By accessing OpenStuds, creating an account, listing a MOC, purchasing a download, or otherwise using the service, you agree to these Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the service.
You must be at least the age of majority in your place of residence to use OpenStuds on your own. If you use the service on behalf of a business or other organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that entity to these Terms.
OpenStuds is a marketplace for digital MOC instruction files, related parts-list data such as XML, creator profile content, and related marketplace services.
OpenStuds does not sell or ship physical bricks, sets, or other tangible goods unless a page expressly says otherwise. Product pages describe digital files and related listing information only.
We may change, improve, suspend, or discontinue features of the service at any time. We may also set or update eligibility rules, marketplace workflows, or technical limits when reasonably necessary for operations, security, fraud prevention, or legal compliance.
You may browse parts of OpenStuds without an account, but some features require you to register or complete checkout with an email address.
You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for activity that occurs through your account. You must provide accurate information and keep it reasonably current.
OpenStuds currently supports guest checkout for some purchases. If you complete guest checkout and later create an account with the same email address, we may associate those purchases with your account so you can access your downloads through the site.
We may suspend, restrict, or terminate accounts or guest access if we reasonably believe there has been fraud, abuse, infringement, payment misconduct, security risk, or a violation of these Terms.
OpenStuds uses Stripe and related service providers to process payments and seller payouts. Payment card details are collected and processed by the payment processor, not stored directly by OpenStuds.
Prices, availability, discount status, and other listing details may change before checkout is completed. Taxes, currency conversion charges, or processor fees may also apply depending on the transaction and your location.
Access to paid files is provided only after successful payment confirmation. If a transaction fails, is reversed, or is flagged for review, we may delay or disable access while the issue is investigated.
An original creator may invite one eligible seller as a contributor to a MOC and negotiate a whole-percentage revenue split through OpenStuds direct messages. The original creator keeps all listing-management rights and remains responsible for the listing, files, discounts, publication, support, and compliance. Contributor credit alone does not grant access to drafts, seller files, listing controls, buyer support messages, or moderation tools.
Pending invitations and proposed changes do not block publication or sales. A split or termination becomes effective only after the other creator accepts it. Accepted changes apply only to checkout sessions initialized afterward; completed purchases and already-open checkout sessions keep the settlement terms captured when those sessions were created. An accepted termination removes contributor credit and future payouts but does not recalculate historical sales.
For a collaborative sale, OpenStuds first applies the platform fee using the original creator's current reputation-based rate. The creator pool is the discounted gross amount actually paid, minus the OpenStuds platform fee and the actual Stripe processing fee. The contributor receives the agreed whole percentage of that pool rounded down to whole cents, and the original creator receives the remaining pool cents.
Both creators must maintain eligible Stripe seller accounts. If the contributor is explicitly unable to receive a transfer when a collaborative purchase is processed, the contributor payout for that purchase is zero and the entire creator pool is paid to the original creator. A temporary Stripe or network failure is retried and is not treated as contributor ineligibility. If the original creator is ineligible when checkout is initialized, checkout is blocked.
Refunds may cause collaborative transfers to be reversed in proportion to the refunded purchase amount. Transfers may be reversed protectively during a payment dispute and restored if the dispute is won. Failed reversals or restorations may be held for manual reconciliation.
OpenStuds may allow buyers to request custom digital MOC work from sellers who choose to accept commission requests. Commission requests are for digital files and related design work only, not physical bricks, sets, shipping, or in-person services unless we expressly state otherwise.
Commission requests require a signed-in account and use OpenStuds direct messages. A request may include a title, brief, budget, desired deadline, reference links, and the buyer's public-release preference. Sellers may accept, decline, discuss, or cancel requests through the platform workflow.
When a seller accepts a commission, the accepted quote is based on the seller's final price, starting payment percentage, starting payment mode, expected delivery date, and acceptance note shown in the commission thread. Buyers and sellers should use the commission thread and acceptance note to confirm scope, files, timeline, and any special rights or exclusivity terms before payment.
When you purchase or claim a listing on OpenStuds, you receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the purchased digital files for your own personal use, unless a listing expressly states otherwise.
Unless we or the seller expressly permit it in writing, you may not:
resell, sublicense, redistribute, repost, or publicly share purchased files
upload purchased files to other marketplaces, file-sharing services, social platforms, or forums
share download access with others
remove, obscure, or bypass watermarking, access controls, or other protective measures
use purchased files in a way that infringes the rights of the seller, OpenStuds, or any third party
Listings may be updated over time. OpenStuds may allow prior buyers to access updated files for the same listing, but continued hosting or availability of any listing or file version is not guaranteed.
For custom commissions, the buyer and seller may agree to special ownership, exclusivity, commercial-use, or publication terms in the seller's acceptance note or in a separate written agreement. If they do not agree to special terms, the default rule is that the seller retains their creator rights and the buyer receives a private, personal-use license to access and use the delivered commission files.
Commission delivery files stay private to the commission workflow unless public release is allowed. A seller may publish a completed commissioned MOC as a normal public marketplace listing only if the buyer allowed public release when sending the request or later approves a public-release request through OpenStuds.
Public release does not remove the buyer's private access to the commissioned files. A seller must not publish, market, or redistribute a private commissioned MOC outside the agreed rights or the buyer's public-release choice.
Because OpenStuds primarily provides digital goods, purchases are generally non-refundable once access to the files has been granted, except where refund rights are required by applicable law.
Without creating a general refund obligation, OpenStuds may choose to issue a refund, replacement, account credit, or other resolution in situations such as:
duplicate payment
failure to receive access because of a verified technical issue
materially broken or missing files
a listing that was materially misdescribed
fraud, unauthorized payment, or another issue we determine warrants a remedy
If you file a payment dispute or chargeback, we may investigate the transaction, request supporting information, pause download access, or suspend the account involved while the matter is reviewed. Abuse of the refund or chargeback process may result in account restrictions or loss of marketplace access.
For help with a payment or download problem, contact info@openstuds.com.
Commission payments may be split into a starting payment and a final payment. The starting payment may be 0% to 80% of the quoted final price. The seller may choose whether the starting payment is credited toward the final payment or charged as an additional start fee.
Starting payments are presented as non-refundable once paid, except where a refund is required by applicable law or where OpenStuds chooses to provide an admin support remedy. OpenStuds may review issues such as non-delivery, fraud, unauthorized payment, material misdescription, materially broken files, or payment error and may issue a refund, replacement, account credit, cancellation, or other remedy at our discretion.
The final commission payment becomes available only after the seller uploads the commissioned files and marks the commission ready for final payment. After the final payment is confirmed, the buyer receives access to the private commissioned MOC files through OpenStuds.
Either participant may cancel a commission only while the workflow permits cancellation. Cancellations, disputes, chargebacks, or suspected abuse may result in delayed access, disabled downloads, withheld support remedies, account restrictions, or other action reasonably needed to protect buyers, sellers, payment providers, and OpenStuds.
If you upload or sell content on OpenStuds, you represent and warrant that:
you own the content you submit or have all rights needed to upload, market, license, and sell it
your listings are accurate in all material respects, including the files included, price, and what the buyer receives
your files, images, descriptions, and other content do not infringe copyright, trademark, privacy, or other rights
you will complete and maintain any Stripe onboarding or payout information required for seller access
you are responsible for your own tax, accounting, reporting, and business obligations related to your sales
if you accept a commission, you reasonably expect to deliver the agreed digital work, accurately describe the scope and timing, upload the required files, and mark the commission ready only when the files are actually ready for final payment
You may not use listings, profile bios, images, file contents, embedded contact details, commission requests, messages, quotes, or other seller-controlled surfaces on OpenStuds to link to, advertise, or redirect users to competing marketplaces or other off-platform sales channels for similar digital instructions or custom commission transactions. We may remove such content or restrict seller access if this rule is violated.
Sellers remain responsible for the legality, accuracy, and rights clearance of their listings, even if OpenStuds reviews, features, rejects, or removes content.
Marketplace fees, commission structure, seller eligibility, and payout rules may be described in product copy, seller materials, or support content such as the commission wiki. Those materials may be updated from time to time.
Unless we expressly state otherwise, Stripe processing fees are separate from OpenStuds platform fees. OpenStuds may update platform fees, discount tools, eligibility requirements, moderation standards, or seller program terms prospectively.
We may review, reject, edit for formatting or compliance, delist, disable, or remove listings, accounts, discounts, files, or marketplace features where reasonably necessary for quality control, platform integrity, rights complaints, legal compliance, fraud prevention, or operational reasons.
Users may submit listings, profile text, reviews, messages, images, and other content. You retain rights you already own in your content, but you grant OpenStuds a non-exclusive, worldwide license to host, store, reproduce, format, display, distribute, and use that content as needed to operate, secure, review, promote, and improve the service.
OpenStuds may but is not required to pre-screen user content. We are not obligated to publish or keep any submission available.
We may investigate complaints, cooperate with rights holders, payment providers, or legal authorities, and take action we consider reasonably necessary to protect users, sellers, buyers, and the platform.
If you believe content on OpenStuds infringes your copyright or other intellectual property rights, email info@openstuds.com with enough detail for us to review the complaint. Include:
your name and contact information
identification of the work or right you believe is being infringed
the URL or other identifying information for the allegedly infringing listing or content
a brief explanation of the complaint and the basis for your rights
a statement that the information you provide is accurate and that you are the rights holder or authorized to act for them
We may remove, disable, or limit access to challenged content while a complaint is reviewed. We may also request more information from the reporting party or the affected user.
OpenStuds may terminate or restrict accounts of repeat infringers or users who repeatedly submit unlawful or abusive rights complaints.
You may not use OpenStuds to:
break the law or encourage others to do so
infringe intellectual property or privacy rights
scrape, crawl, harvest, or extract listings, user data, or files in an unauthorized way
upload malware, destructive code, or content designed to interfere with the service
evade bans, create accounts with false identities, or impersonate another person or business
manipulate payments, abuse discounts, commit chargeback fraud, or interfere with payout flows
bypass technical protections, access controls, download restrictions, or watermarking
upload, share, or sell pirated, stolen, deceptive, or unlawful files
use the service to solicit users away from OpenStuds for competing transactions or similar off-platform sales
OpenStuds is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis to the maximum extent permitted by law. We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability, error-free operation, or that any listing, file, seller, or content will meet your expectations.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, OpenStuds is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, revenue, goodwill, business opportunity, or data arising from or related to the service, user content, seller conduct, listings, transactions, or downloaded files.
Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded, including liability for intent, gross negligence where non-waivable, fraudulent misrepresentation, or death or personal injury caused by negligence where applicable law so requires.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless OpenStuds and its operator from third-party claims arising out of your content, your listings, your misuse of the service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of another person's rights, to the extent permitted by law.
These Terms are governed by the laws of Germany, excluding conflict-of-law rules, unless mandatory consumer protection law in your place of residence requires otherwise.
If you are a merchant, legal entity under public law, or special fund under public law, the exclusive place of jurisdiction for disputes arising out of these Terms is the competent court for the operator's registered seat, unless applicable law requires a different forum.
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated version on this page and update the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of OpenStuds after a change takes effect means you accept the revised Terms.
Questions about these Terms should be sent to info@openstuds.com.