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LegalZoom copyright vs a timestamp. LegalZoom helps you file with the US Copyright Office. A timestamp dates a file. They are not substitutes for each other.

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.

LegalZoom copyright vs a timestamp: the short answer

LegalZoom is a filing helper. Its official copyright page offers to complete a questionnaire and file your application with the US Copyright Office, for $114 plus government filing fees. The registration you are seeking is still a USCO registration. You can file the same kind of application yourself at copyright.gov.

Copyright in a US original work is automatic when the work is fixed. Registration adds statutory advantages described in the Copyright Office’s Circular 1: for US works, registration (or refusal) is necessary before an infringement suit may be filed; timely registration can make statutory damages and attorneys’ fees available; and registration within five years of publication is prima facie evidence of the facts in the certificate.

A TimeBind does none of those things. It is a dated fingerprint of an exact file, made in your browser, never uploaded, and anchored to Bitcoin. Use LegalZoom or a direct USCO filing when you want official US registration. Use a TimeBind when you want a checkable date for a file you keep, including drafts. They are not alternatives to each other. Prices and product facts below were checked on each provider’s official pages on 12 November 2026 and may change. This is general information, not legal advice.

LegalZoom vs filing it yourself vs a TimeBind

	File yourself at copyright.gov	LegalZoom copyright registration	TimeBind
What it is	You submit an application, a fee and a deposit to the US Copyright Office.	LegalZoom prepares and electronically files that application for you.	A dated fingerprint of an exact file, anchored to Bitcoin.
Who grants the registration	The US Copyright Office, if the claim is accepted.	The US Copyright Office, if the claim is accepted. LegalZoom is the filer, not the registry.	No registration is granted. You get a certificate for a file hash.
Your file uploaded?	Yes, as the deposit copy required by the Office.	Yes, as part of the application LegalZoom files.	No. The fingerprint is made in the browser.
Statutory advantages in Circular 1	Yes, if registration is completed (and, for some remedies, timely).	Yes, if the USCO registration is completed (and, for some remedies, timely).	No. A TimeBind is not a USCO registration.
Cost (12 Nov 2026)	$45 Single application, or $65 Standard Application, on the official fees page. Other group applications have different fees.	$114 plus the government filing fee, per LegalZoom’s official page.	First Pooled TimeBind free; then from US$5, or US$15 for ASAP.
Shows who owns the copyright?	A registration certificate is official evidence of the facts stated in it, on the terms in Circular 1. It is still not a guarantee in every dispute.	Same, because the underlying record is the USCO registration.	No.

Sources: LegalZoom, Register a Copyright; USCO fees; Copyright Basics (Circular 1); USCO FAQ. Terms: timestamp, SHA-256, Proof of Time Certificate. Tool: SHA-256 hash checker. Related: copyright registration vs a timestamp and copyright registration in the USA.

When to use which

File yourself at copyright.gov

You want official US registration at the Office’s own fee
You are comfortable completing the application and depositing the work

Use LegalZoom (or a similar filer)

You want help preparing and filing the same kind of USCO application
You are willing to pay the helper’s fee on top of the government fee

Use a dated file record

You want to date drafts, stems, or working files that may never be registered
You would rather not upload a file just to get a date on it
You also plan to register, and you want a fingerprint of the exact deposit or of earlier versions

LegalZoom is not an alternative to the Copyright Office, and a timestamp is not an alternative to registration. For a wider comparison of official registration and timestamps, see copyright registration vs a timestamp.

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 LegalZoom a substitute for the US Copyright Office?

No. LegalZoom’s official page describes filing your application with the US Copyright Office. The registration, if it is granted, is a USCO registration. You can also file yourself at copyright.gov.

Does copyright exist before I register or use LegalZoom?

Yes. The US Copyright Office states that copyright protection is automatic when an original work is fixed. Registration is recommended because of the statutory advantages in Circular 1, not because copyright would otherwise fail to exist.

Does a TimeBind replace US copyright registration?

No. A TimeBind does not put your work on the public copyright record, does not create the prima facie effect described in Circular 1, and does not meet the requirement that registration (or refusal) is necessary before an infringement suit may be filed for US works. It dates an exact file.

Can I register with USCO and also timestamp the file?

Yes. Registration and a timestamp answer different questions. Many people file (or have a helper file) with the Copyright Office and also keep dated originals of the exact files they submitted or of earlier drafts.

What does each option cost (12 Nov 2026)?

USCO: $45 for a Single application (one author, same claimant, one work, not for hire) or $65 for a Standard Application, on the official fees page. LegalZoom: $114 plus those government filing fees, per its official page. TimeBinder: first Pooled TimeBind free; then from US$5, or US$15 for ASAP.

Related comparisons

Date the file you are about to register

A TimeBind does not replace USCO registration. It can date the exact file you keep, including a draft or the copy you plan to deposit.

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