What's the best alternative to poor man's copyright?

A blockchain timestamp. It provides the tamper-proof, independently verifiable dated proof the mailed-envelope method was meant to — without the easy-to-fake weaknesses — and it pairs with formal copyright registration.

Does mailing myself my work prove anything?

Very little. It has no standing in copyright law and the 'evidence' is easy to manipulate, so courts give it little weight. Dated, tamper-proof proof like a blockchain timestamp is far stronger.

Is a blockchain timestamp legally recognized?

It's credible evidence rather than a law in itself — a tamper-proof record that a specific file existed on a date, which can be weighed like any authenticated record. For formal rights, combine it with copyright registration.

A Real Alternative to Poor Man's Copyright

Mailing yourself a sealed copy of your work — the 'poor man's copyright' — is supposed to prove you created it by a certain date. It doesn't hold up. A blockchain timestamp is the real alternative: it does what the envelope was meant to, but properly.

Why the envelope trick fails

The poor man's copyright has no basis in copyright law, and a mailed envelope is weak evidence: postmarks can be faked, envelopes can be steamed open and re-stuffed, and at best it shows something was mailed — not what, or that it's unchanged. Courts give it little weight.

The real alternative

A blockchain timestamp delivers the dated proof the envelope only pretended to:

Tamper-proof — the record can't be altered or back-dated.
Independently verifiable — anyone can check it on a public blockchain.
Permanent — it doesn't rely on you keeping a sealed envelope safe for years.

	Poor man's copyright	Blockchain timestamp
Recognized as evidence	Weak	Strong, tamper-proof
Can be faked	Easily	No
Proves contents unchanged	No	Yes
Lasts	If envelope survives	Permanent, public

How to actually protect your work

Own your copyright automatically by creating the work, keep dated proof with a timestamp, and register the important pieces with the Copyright Office. For the full breakdown, read Poor Man's Copyright: Does It Actually Work? — or create a timestamp now.

Prove it on the blockchain

Timestamp any file on the Ethereum blockchain and get a tamper-proof, lifetime certificate that it existed today. Your file never leaves your browser.

Create a timestamp — $49.99

A Real Alternative to Poor Man's Copyright

Why the envelope trick fails

The real alternative

How to actually protect your work

Prove it on the blockchain

Frequently asked questions