Logo disputes usually come down to timing: a client who didn’t pay but uses the logo anyway, a competitor with a suspiciously similar mark, or a pitch that wasn’t chosen but turns up later. Vector files store surprisingly little reliable date information. Here is what AI, SVG and EPS files record, why it is weak, and what to freeze and timestamp with TimeBinder®.
Short answer: The dates inside an AI, SVG or EPS file come from your own computer and are easy to change. To show a logo existed before a date, keep the exact vector file and the concept PDFs you sent, and timestamp them with TimeBinder before they leave your hands. A TimeBind shows that the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It doesn’t show who made it or what a court will make of it. See timestamping design files before you send them.
Disclosure: I’m Inna Hall, co-founder of TimeBinder, the file timestamping tool this guide uses. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Table of Contents
Where vector files keep their dates
| Format | Dates stored inside | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Illustrator (.ai) | XMP create, modify and metadata dates; a document ID; often a save history | Written by Illustrator using your computer clock |
| SVG | Usually none | May name the app that made it, without a date |
| EPS | A %%CreationDate header comment | Plain text, easy to edit |
| PDF exports | Creation and modification dates, XMP | Check them with our file date and metadata inspector |
| PNG and JPG exports | PNG tIME or text fields; JPG EXIF or XMP if kept | Often stripped on export for web |
Why those dates are easy to challenge
Every internal date is written by software using a computer clock, and metadata editors can change them. Exports for clients are often stripped of metadata on purpose. And logos are small, simple files: a competitor can redraw one from scratch in an afternoon, so the question is not just what your file shows but whether you can show it existed first. If you design typefaces too, see how to timestamp a new typeface before release.
What to freeze
- Sketches and early concepts, including scans or photos of paper sketches.
- The master file (.ai or the editable source from your app) at each round.
- The presentation PDF you send to the client or include in a pitch.
- Final exports: SVG, PNG and EPS, as delivered.
- The brief and approval emails, saved as PDF.
A simple routine
- Before sending concepts or finals, save a copy of the master and export the presentation PDF.
- Put the master, the PDF and the delivered exports in a folder named with the client and round.
- Open TimeBinder and TimeBind the files together (one Pooled TimeBind covers up to 10 files).
- Send the client the same exported files you TimeBound, so the fingerprints match what they hold.
- Keep the certificate with the frozen files. Make later changes in a new copy.
Which plan fits
The Free plan is $0 and gives you 1 Token a month. A Pooled TimeBind costs 1 Token, covers up to 10 files and is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity. An ASAP TimeBind costs 3 Tokens and gets its own Bitcoin transaction straight away. Checking a file is always free, and no credit card is needed for the Free plan.
If you TimeBind more often, Essential is US$20 a month for 5 Tokens ($4 per Token, against $5 pay-as-you-go) and Expert is US$50 a month for 15 Tokens (about $3.33 per Token). Paid plans replace the Free plan’s monthly Token, so Essential adds 4 Tokens for US$20 and Expert adds 14 for US$50. See pricing.
What a timestamp does and doesn’t do
TimeBinder anchors each file’s SHA-256 fingerprint to the Bitcoin blockchain and gives you a Proof of Time Certificate. That is verifiable evidence of when a file existed: it shows the file existed no later than the anchor time, and any later change to the file is detectable. Your file is hashed in your browser and never uploaded. ASAP TimeBinds can be checked independently from the certificate and the Bitcoin blockchain; Pooled TimeBinds are verified through TimeBinder.
It doesn’t show who created the file, whether its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make it, and it can’t tell you how a court or anyone else will treat it. It also doesn’t cover versions you didn’t TimeBind. Pooled TimeBinds are verified through TimeBinder; ASAP TimeBinds can also be verified independently from the certificate and the Bitcoin blockchain. Who owns a commissioned logo depends on your contract and local law. See what to do when a client uses your design without paying, protecting a design before sending it and proving Figma and Sketch files existed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Illustrator file show when a logo was made?
Usually it stores XMP metadata, including a create date, a modify date and a document ID that stays the same across versions. These come from your computer’s clock and can be edited, so they are useful context, not independent evidence.
Do SVG files store a date?
Not as a standard. An SVG may include a comment naming the app that made it, but there is normally no creation date inside. Only file-system dates remain, and they change easily.
What about EPS?
EPS files often include a %%CreationDate comment in their header, written by the app that saved them. It is plain text, so anyone can change it.
Does a timestamp protect my logo as a trademark?
No. A trademark is a separate right, usually registered with a national IP office. A timestamp can help show when your design files existed, which may be useful alongside other evidence.
Is my design uploaded?
No. TimeBinder hashes files in your browser and only the fingerprint is anchored to Bitcoin, so unreleased brand work stays private.
Plan details were checked against timebinder.io/pricing on 29 October 2026.
