Do you need to register copyrightNot for protection in most countries, but in the US registration is needed to sue

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

No, copyright usually exists as soon as you create an original work, so you do not need to register to own it. In the US, though, you generally must register before suing, and early registration affects damages. The UK, EU countries and Australia have no general registration requirement.

What registration does and does not do

In the US, copyright protection starts when a work is fixed, and registration is optional for protection (Circular 1). But the US Supreme Court held in Fourth Estate v. Wall-Street.com (2019) that registration must be made, or refused, by the Copyright Office before suing. Under 17 U.S.C. § 412, statutory damages and attorney’s fees are generally limited unless registration was made in time. Rules for foreign works differ.

The UK and Australia have no registration system for copyright, and most EU countries do not require registration. Rules differ by country, so check locally.

Registration versus a dated record

Registration is an official public record with legal effects. A dated fingerprint is a different thing: 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. It can help show a file existed by a given time, and is useful where there is no registry or before you register. See copyright registration vs timestamp.

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.

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

Do I need to register copyright to sue in the US?

For US works, generally yes: registration must be made or refused first. A lawyer can advise on urgent cases.

Is a poor man’s copyright enough?

Mailing yourself a copy is not a legal substitute for registration. See the linked answer.

Do I need to register copyright in the UK or Australia?

No general registration is required or available. Copyright arises automatically.

Does a timestamp replace registration?

No. It supports a timeline of when a file existed, and does not give registration’s legal effects.

Sources

US Copyright Office, Circular 1: Copyright basics.
Cornell LII, 17 U.S.C. § 412.
US Supreme Court, Fourth Estate v. Wall-Street.com (2019).
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.