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Protect My Work alternatives. Private UK registries issue their own certificates. A timestamp dates an exact file. Neither is a government copyright office.

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

A TimeBind is a dated, checkable record that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. The fingerprint is made in the browser, and the file stays on your device. Your first Pooled TimeBind is free; after that, TimeBinds start from US$5, and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Protect My Work alternatives: the short answer

Protect My Work and the UK Copyright Service are private registries. They take a copy of work you submit, keep their own record, and issue a dated certificate. They are not government copyright offices. GOV.UK says copyright in the UK is automatic and that “there is not a register of copyright works in the UK.”

A TimeBind is a different kind of record: a dated, checkable fingerprint of an exact file, made in your browser, with the file never uploaded, anchored to Bitcoin. It does not create copyright, prove ownership, or replace official registration where a country has one — for example with the US Copyright Office. You may want a registry, a timestamp, official registration, or more than one of these, depending on the question you need to answer. Prices and product facts below were checked on each provider’s official pages on 12 November 2026 and may change.

Protect My Work vs the UK Copyright Service vs a timestamp

	Protect My Work	UK Copyright Service	TimeBind
What it is	A private UK registry (Protect My Work Limited). It issues a dated digital certificate for work you register with them.	A private registry run by Copyright Witness Ltd. It offers time-limited registration of a work.	A dated fingerprint of an exact file, anchored to Bitcoin, with a certificate you keep.
Your file uploaded?	Yes. You buy certificate tokens and attach files (up to 5 per certificate, or a zip; 150 MB limit, per their pricing page).	Yes. You submit a copy of the work to them.	No. The SHA-256 fingerprint is made in the browser.
Stores a copy for you?	Yes, as part of the registration.	Yes, as part of the registration.	No. You must keep the exact original.
Where the date comes from	Their systems, as stated on the certificate they issue.	Their systems. They describe it as tamper-proof evidence of your claim.	The Bitcoin block the fingerprint was recorded in.
Official copyright office?	No.	No.	No.
Cost (12 Nov 2026)	Membership £44.15 a year ex VAT (they quote about US$58.72). Five free certificate tokens on first subscribe; further tokens £1 each, paid once.	£59.50 for 5 years or £99.00 for 10 years, as a single payment.	First Pooled TimeBind free; then from US$5, or US$15 for ASAP.
Creates copyright?	No. Copyright in the UK arises automatically.	No. Same.	No.

Sources: Protect My Work pricing, UK Copyright Service, and GOV.UK on copyright. Terms: timestamp, SHA-256, blockchain timestamp. Tool: SHA-256 hash checker.

When to use which

Use a UK private registry

You want a third party to store a copy and issue its own dated certificate
You are comfortable uploading the work to that company
You understand it is not a government register, and not US Copyright Office registration

Use official registration where it exists

You have a US work and may need to sue in the US, or you want the statutory advantages in Circular 1
Another country you care about has an official register and you have been advised to use it

Use a dated file record

You would rather not upload an unreleased file
You want a fingerprint you can check later against the exact original
You are dating drafts or versions as you go, including work you do not want stored by a registry

They can be used together. A timestamp does not replace a registry or official registration, and a private certificate does not date every file you still hold on your own device.

What a TimeBind shows, and what it doesn’t

What it shows

That an exact file existed no later than the recorded time
That a later copy still matches, bit for bit, if the fingerprint is the same

What it doesn’t show

Who made the file, who owns it, or who holds the copyright
That the contents are true, original, or human-made
Whether AI was used, or how a court, platform or insurer will treat the record

The SHA-256 fingerprint is made in your browser. The file is never uploaded. The record is anchored to Bitcoin. This is general information, not legal advice.

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

Frequently asked questions

Is Protect My Work an official copyright office?

No. It is a private UK company. GOV.UK states that copyright is automatic in the UK and that there is not a register of copyright works. A registration with Protect My Work or the UK Copyright Service is a record those companies keep, not a government registration.

Does a Protect My Work certificate prove I own the copyright?

No private registry, and no TimeBind, proves ownership or authorship by itself. Protect My Work issues a dated certificate for work you register with them. That may help show what you submitted and when. Who created the work, and how a court will treat the certificate, are separate questions. This is general information, not legal advice.

I am in the US. Should I use Protect My Work instead of copyright.gov?

If you need the statutory advantages of US registration — including, for US works, registration (or refusal) before an infringement suit can be filed — that comes from the US Copyright Office, Circular 1, not from a UK private registry. A timestamp is also not a substitute for that registration.

Can I use a private registry and a timestamp together?

Yes. They answer slightly different questions. A registry can store a copy and issue its own certificate. A TimeBind records a fingerprint of an exact file, made in your browser, without uploading the file, and anchors that record to Bitcoin. Neither creates copyright.

What does a TimeBind cost?

Your first Pooled TimeBind is free. After that, Pooled TimeBinds start from US$5, and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Related comparisons

Date the file without uploading it

Make a TimeBind of the exact file. The fingerprint is made in your browser, and the file stays on your device.

Make your first TimeBind free → See plans and pricing

Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that, TimeBinds start from US$5, and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15. Your browser makes the fingerprint and the file stays on your device. A TimeBind shows a file existed no later than the recorded time. It doesn’t show who made it.

Open TimeBinder and timestamp a file

Fingerprint the file in your browser. The file stays on your device. Your first Pooled TimeBind is free; then from US$5, or US$15 for ASAP.

See plans and pricing