Blog
Guides on copyright, proof of existence, and timestamping your work on the blockchain.
What a Hash Does Not Reveal
Publishing a file's SHA-256 hash discloses nothing about its contents — with one narrow exception worth knowing if the file has few possible values.
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Why Timestamp Drafts Not Final Versions
A timestamp is an upper bound on a date, so the earliest artefact is the most valuable one. Here is why a sequence of drafts beats a single finished file.
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Prior Art and Defensive Publication
Publishing an invention deliberately can stop others patenting it. Here is how defensive publication works, why a private timestamp is not the same thing, and when each applies.
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Blockchain Timestamp vs Emailing Yourself
Emailing yourself a file is better than the sealed envelope trick and worse than most people assume. Here is exactly where it holds and where it fails.
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How to Prove What a Website Said
Screenshots are trivially editable and web archives are incomplete. Here is how to create a record of a page that survives a challenge — yours or someone else's.
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Chain of Custody for Digital Files
Digital evidence has to be shown unchanged since collection. Here is how hashing establishes integrity, where the gaps usually are, and what a timestamp adds.
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First to File vs First to Invent
The US moved to first-inventor-to-file in 2013, and the rest of the world was already there. Here is what changed, what did not, and why dated records still matter.
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What Is Anteriority in IP Law
Anteriority means being earlier — the evidence that your work existed before someone else's. Here is what it decides, where the term is used, and how it is proved.
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Prove a Trade Secret Without Disclosing It
Trade secret protection ends the moment you publish, which makes proving what you held awkward. A hash records the fact without revealing the content.
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NDA vs Blockchain Timestamp
An NDA creates an obligation; a timestamp creates a dated record. They solve different halves of the same problem, and using one without the other leaves a gap.
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Prove a Pitch Predates a Knockoff
You pitched, they passed, and something familiar appeared later. Here is what evidence actually helps, what a timestamp adds, and what no record can do for you.
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Design Freeze Records Before Filing
The months between having a design and filing for it are the least documented and most exposed. Here is how to keep a dated record without disclosing anything.
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How to Timestamp a Software Release
Git commit dates are metadata you can rewrite. Here is how to anchor a release to a date nobody controls, and what to store alongside it.
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Proof of Existence Services Compared
OpenTimestamps, OriginStamp, ScoreDetect, Bernstein, ProofStamper and FreeTSA compared on price, privacy model, what you must keep, and who can verify the result.
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How Long Does a Blockchain Record Last
A blockchain record has no expiry, but its usefulness depends on things that can change. Here is what actually threatens a long-term timestamp and how to hedge against it.
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Blockchain Logging Explained
Blockchain logging means anchoring log integrity to a public ledger so entries cannot be quietly altered. Here is how it works, what it costs, and when it is worth doing.
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Why Metadata Is Not Proof of a Date
EXIF, file properties and creation dates are written by your own machine and editable by anyone. Here is why they fail as evidence and what to use instead.
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How to Verify a Hash Yourself
Commands for macOS, Linux and Windows, what to do when the hash does not match, and why a hash you generated yourself is the strongest form of this check.
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What a Timestamp Certificate Contains
A walk through every field in a blockchain timestamp certificate, what each one is for, and how to check the whole thing yourself on a public block explorer.
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Can You Backdate a Blockchain Timestamp
No — and the reason why is the whole point of the technology. Here is what stops backdating, what a timestamp genuinely fixes, and which dates can still be manipulated.
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Ethereum vs Bitcoin for Timestamping
Both chains are fine for proving a file existed. The real differences are cost, how the hash is stored, and how easily a non-technical person can verify it.
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Blockchain Evidence in European Courts
A French court relied on a blockchain timestamp in March 2025, eIDAS makes such records admissible, and Italy's statute remains unimplemented. Here is where Europe actually stands.
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What Happened to WIPO Proof
WIPO discontinued its digital timestamping service in January 2022 after concluding demand was insufficient. Here is what became of existing tokens and what the shutdown teaches.
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Merkle Tree Timestamping Explained
Merkle trees let thousands of files share one blockchain transaction, which is why some timestamping is free. Here is how the batching works and what you give up for it.
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RFC 3161 vs Blockchain Timestamping
RFC 3161 timestamps are signed by an authority; blockchain timestamps are anchored in a public ledger. Here is how the two differ, how each one fails, and when to use both.
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How to Verify NFT Ownership
How to check who owns an NFT on-chain, verify a wallet controls it, and understand what that ownership does and does not include.
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Free vs Paid Document Timestamping
Free timestamping services are real and often good. Here is what you actually give up, what paid services add, and how to decide which fits your situation.
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How to Timestamp Documents Without Uploading Them
You never need to upload a file to timestamp it — only its hash. How client-side hashing works, and how to check that a service really isn't taking your document.
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What Is Cryptographic Timestamping?
Cryptographic timestamping proves data existed at a point in time and has not changed. How RFC 3161 timestamp authorities and blockchain anchoring differ.
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Does DocuSign Use Blockchain?
Does DocuSign use blockchain? Short answer: not really. Here's what DocuSign actually does, where blockchain fits, and the blockchain alternative for proof.
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How to Prove a Document Is Authentic and Unchanged
Proving a document is authentic means showing it's genuine and unaltered. Here's how document authentication works and how hashing makes tampering obvious.
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Do NFTs Prove Ownership or Copyright?
An NFT records a token on a blockchain — but does it prove you own the art or its copyright? Here's what an NFT actually proves, and what it doesn't.
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How to Protect Your Creative Work Online
Posting art, writing, or designs online means exposure — and copying. Here's how to protect your creative work online, from watermarks to dated proof.
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What Is a SHA-256 Hash? (Plain English)
A hash is a unique fingerprint of a file. Here's what SHA-256 is, how hashing works, and why it can prove a file hasn't changed — explained simply.
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How to Protect an Idea (Without a Patent)
You can't copyright or patent a bare idea — but you can protect how you express and share it. Here's how to protect an idea before you pitch it.
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How to Prove the Date of an Invention
Inventors need dated records for priority and prior art. Here's how invention dating works under a first-to-file system and how timestamping helps.
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How to Prove You Created Something First
Whether it's a document, design, or idea, here's how to build dated, tamper-proof evidence that you created your work before anyone else.
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What Is Trusted Timestamping? A Plain-English Guide
Trusted timestamping proves a file existed at a certain time. Here's how it works, how blockchain timestamping differs from a timestamp authority, and why it matters.
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Blockchain Timestamping vs. the U.S. Copyright Office
Do you need to register with the Copyright Office, or is a blockchain timestamp enough? A clear comparison of what each one does — and when to use both.
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Poor Man's Copyright: Does It Actually Work?
The 'poor man's copyright' — mailing yourself a copy of your work — is a myth. Here's why it doesn't hold up, and the modern, tamper-proof alternative.
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