Can you copyright a nameNames are generally not protected by copyright, but trade marks may cover them

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

Names, titles and short phrases are generally not protected by copyright in the US, UK or Australia. A name used to identify goods or services may be protected as a trade mark instead, which is a separate registration. Copyright can still cover a longer creative work, such as a logo design or a book, that includes the name.

Copyright versus trade mark

The US Copyright Office lists names, titles, slogans and short phrases among things copyright does not protect (Circular 33). The UK and Australia take a similar approach: copyright needs a work with enough originality, and a short name rarely has it.

A trade mark protects a name or sign as a badge of origin for particular goods or services. It is registered with a trade mark office (USPTO, EUIPO, UK IPO or IP Australia) and, in some places, can also build up through use. Trade mark law is about avoiding confusion in the market, not about who thought of the name first.

What you can keep as a record

If you are naming a product, band or brand, keep dated files showing when you first used the name: early branding, drafts, launch assets and your first public use. A TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact file and a time, anchored to Bitcoin. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file is not uploaded.

That record can support a timeline if there is a dispute. A TimeBind shows a file existed by a recorded time and has not changed since. It does not register copyright, is not legal advice and does not by itself prove who made the file. Search the trade mark registers and ask a trade mark lawyer before you commit to a name.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Frequently asked questions

Can you copyright a business name?

Generally no. A business name is usually protected, if at all, through trade mark law or rules on passing off, and registering a company name does not give trade mark rights.

Can you copyright a name for free?

There is nothing to register for copyright in a short name. Trade mark rights come from registration in most countries and, in some, from use.

Can you copyright a name and a logo together?

The logo artwork may be protected by copyright if it is original. The name on its own generally is not.

Does a timestamp give me rights in a name?

No. It only shows a file existed by a recorded time. It can help show when you first used a name, but it does not create trade mark rights.

Sources

US Copyright Office, Circular 33: Works not protected by copyright.
TimeBinder, Copyright registration vs timestamp.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.