Short answer: You can’t stop every copy, but you can protect your patterns with three habits: clear licence terms in every PDF, careful control of drafts you share before launch, and a dated record of each version. In Australia you don’t apply for copyright. Business.gov.au says “You don’t need to register for copyright in Australia” and that protection is “free and automatic”. IP Australia’s design rights are a separate, paid registration for how a product looks. Whether your written pattern, chart or finished garment is protected, and by what, is a question for a lawyer. A timestamp helps with one narrow job: it shows each exact file existed no later than the recorded time. It doesn’t stop copying, and it doesn’t show who designed the pattern.
Disclosure: I’m Inna Hall, co-founder of TimeBinder, the file timestamping tool this guide mentions. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Table of Contents
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your situation, speak to a lawyer in your country.
What the official sources say
Two Australian government pages are worth reading before you decide anything.
- Copyright. The business.gov.au copyright guide says “You don’t need to register for copyright in Australia” and “Copyright protection is free and automatic under the Copyright Act 1968.” There’s no register to join and nothing to pay.
- Design rights. IP Australia’s guide to design rights says a design right “protects the overall visual appearance of new and distinctive products”. It’s a registration, and IP Australia lists “Costs start at $200 for registration ($500 for certification)”. It also says a design right “doesn’t protect how your product was designed”.
How these apply to a pattern PDF, a knitting chart, a stitch you invented or a finished garment depends on the facts and on the country. We don’t try to answer that here. If you’re thinking about a design registration or a dispute, talk to an IP lawyer first.
What you can control yourself
Most of what protects a small pattern business is ordinary habit, not law.
- Write your licence terms in the PDF. Say plainly what a buyer may do: make items for themselves, sell finished items, share the PDF or not. Put it on the first or last page and in your shop listing, so nobody can say they didn’t see it.
- Name every file with a version and a date. “wrap-cardigan-v3-tester-2026-11-01.pdf” tells a clearer story than “final-final.pdf”.
- Keep your working files. Sketches, swatch photos, charts, grading spreadsheets and early drafts show how the pattern developed. Don’t tidy them away after launch.
- Keep a list of who got what. Note which tester or magazine received which version, and when.
If you’re also building a brand around your patterns, our guide to protecting a business idea in Australia covers confidentiality agreements and other options.
Before you send a pattern to testers
Testing is when an unreleased pattern leaves your hands, so it’s the moment most designers wish they’d kept better records.
- Finish the tester version and save it as a PDF with a version number in the file name.
- Put the draft licence terms in it, including a line asking testers not to share the file.
- Timestamp the tester PDF together with its working files (chart, grading sheet, sample photos) before you send anything.
- Send each tester the same file and note who received it and when.
- Timestamp the release version on launch day, along with the final licence text.
That gives you a short, dated trail: the working files, the tester version and the release. If a near-identical pattern turns up later, you can show when your files existed. You still can’t show from the timestamp alone who designed what, or force anyone to take a copy down.
How to protect your patterns with dated records
A TimeBind records a file’s SHA-256 fingerprint on the Bitcoin blockchain. Your files are fingerprinted in your browser and never uploaded, which matters when the pattern isn’t released yet. One TimeBind can include up to 10 files, so a whole stage fits in one go.
| Record | What a TimeBind of it shows | What it doesn’t show |
|---|---|---|
| Sketches and swatch photos | That those exact files existed no later than the recorded time | That you invented the shape or stitch |
| Chart or grading spreadsheet | The same, for that exact version | That the numbers are correct |
| Tester PDF | That this exact version existed no later than the recorded time | Who passed it on, if anyone did |
| Release PDF and licence text | That those exact files existed no later than the recorded time | That buyers read or accepted the terms |
To check a file against its fingerprint yourself, you can use our free SHA-256 file hash checker. Change one byte and the fingerprint changes, so keep the exact files you timestamped, unedited, alongside your certificate. That way they still match their fingerprint. For more on dating creative work, see how artists show when they made something and our page on timestamping design files.
If you find a copy of your pattern
Stay calm and gather facts before you write to anyone.
- Save what you found. Screenshot the listing with its address and the date you saw it.
- Compare it with your files. Note what’s the same and what’s different.
- Find your records. Your tester list, your dated files and your TimeBinder certificates.
- Use the platform’s own reporting process if it has one, and follow its steps.
- Speak to a lawyer before sending demands or threatening action.
A timestamp is one record among several. It shows when your files existed. It doesn’t decide who’s right.
Pooled or ASAP
- Pooled (1 Token): Your fingerprint is grouped with other users’ in one shared Bitcoin entry, usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity. It’s checked through TimeBinder.
- ASAP (3 Tokens): It gets its own Bitcoin transaction, broadcast straight away, although that doesn’t mean instant confirmation. It can be checked independently, without relying on TimeBinder.
Both produce a Proof of Time Certificate, a PDF with a QR code and the Bitcoin transaction ID. You can keep a certificate public or restrict it to email addresses you choose, and checking is free. For most tester and release files, Pooled is enough. The Pooled vs ASAP explainer covers the difference.
What a TimeBind does NOT do
- It doesn’t stop anyone copying your pattern.
- It doesn’t show who designed the pattern or who owns it.
- It doesn’t register copyright or a design.
- It doesn’t show the pattern is original or that its instructions are correct.
- It can’t say how a court, platform or anyone else will judge it.
When TimeBinder isn’t the right tool
- You want to register the look of a product. That’s a design right, through IP Australia or your national IP office.
- You want a copy taken down. Use the platform’s reporting process, and a lawyer if needed.
- You need to agree terms with a co-designer or publisher. Use a written agreement.
- Your pattern is already released and you kept no files. A timestamp made now can’t date the past. Gather what you already have, such as shop records and emails.
TimeBinder pricing
- Free: $0. 1 Token every month (1 Pooled TimeBind). No credit card required. The Free plan’s monthly Token doesn’t roll over.
- Essential: $20 a month for 5 Tokens (5 Pooled, or 1 ASAP + 2 Pooled). Unused Tokens roll over. Cancel any time.
- Expert: $50 a month for 15 Tokens (15 Pooled, 5 ASAP, or a mix).
- Extra Tokens: 1 for $5, 3 for $15 or 9 for $40. Tokens you buy never expire.
A paid plan replaces the Free plan’s monthly Token, so Essential gives you 5 Tokens a month in total, not 6.
Prices are in US dollars. Enterprise plans have custom Token limits and dedicated support. Service terms for every plan are set out in the TimeBinder Terms and Conditions. To match a plan to how many patterns you release, see which plan do I need.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do I need to register copyright in my patterns in Australia?
No. Business.gov.au says “You don’t need to register for copyright in Australia” and that protection is free and automatic. Whether a particular pattern, chart or garment is protected is a question for a lawyer. This is general information, not legal advice.
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What does a design right protect?
IP Australia says a design right protects the overall visual appearance of new and distinctive products. It’s a paid registration, and it doesn’t protect how your product was designed. Check the details with IP Australia or a lawyer.
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Should I timestamp my pattern before sending it to testers?
It’s a sensible moment. Timestamp the tester PDF with its working files before you send it, and note who received it. That gives you a dated record of the version you shared.
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Does a timestamp stop people copying my pattern?
No. It shows your files existed no later than the recorded time, and that they still match their fingerprint. It doesn’t stop copying or show who designed the pattern.
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Do I have to upload my unreleased pattern to TimeBinder?
No. Files are fingerprinted in your browser and never uploaded. Only the SHA-256 fingerprint is recorded, and the pattern can’t be read back from it.
TimeBind your files
Date your next tester version before it leaves your hands with a Pooled TimeBind: the Free plan includes 1 Token a month, and no credit card is required. See plans and pricing →
