Short answer: Proof and timestamp services do close. WIPO’s digital timestamp service, WIPO PROOF, stopped creating new tokens on 31 January 2022. The ascribe art registry wound down in 2018, the original Tierion app was retired at the end of 2018, and Binded moved its users to Pixsy in 2019. In each case, what users could still do afterwards depended on what they had kept themselves: the original file, the record the service gave them, and anything written to a public blockchain. The practical lesson for any service, including TimeBinder: keep your own copy of the file, its fingerprint and every certificate or proof file, in more than one place. Below is each closure, with the source we read and a short quote.
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
We list a service only if we could read a closure notice, the service’s own page, or a first-hand account. Each entry says what the source says, and no more.
Proof services that have closed: the sourced list
| Service | What it did | When it closed | What the source says about records |
|---|---|---|---|
| WIPO PROOF | Digital timestamp tokens for files, run by WIPO | New tokens ended 31 Jan 2022 | Tokens remain valid; checking needs the original file and the token |
| ascribe | Registry for digital art on Bitcoin | Wound down in 2018 | Six-month window to copy files; on-chain records stayed on-chain |
| Tierion (original app) | Anchoring data to Bitcoin for developers | Usable until 31 Dec 2018 | Users were pointed to Chainpoint |
| Binded | Image registration for photographers and artists | Shut down 30 Sep 2019 | Accounts and registrations moved to Pixsy |
WIPO PROOF
WIPO launched WIPO PROOF in 2020. Its page now reads “WIPO PROOF (Discontinued)” and says: “The token generation service was therefore terminated on January 31, 2022.” WIPO’s notice gives its reason as “the rapid evolution of the market in the field and a re-evaluation of the business case for the service”, and says “WIPO will assure continuity to existing customers for the next 5 years.”
For existing records, WIPO says: “All WIPO PROOF tokens remain indefinitely valid.” It adds a condition: “To validate a token, it is necessary to be in possession of the unaltered original file for which the token was created, and the corresponding WIPO PROOF token.”
Sources: WIPO PROOF (Discontinued) and Discontinuation of the WIPO Proof Token Generation Service, both read 1 Nov 2026. If you used it, see our WIPO PROOF alternatives.
ascribe
ascribe let artists register digital works on Bitcoin from 2015. Its site now says “ascribe is no longer active”, and that “we fully open sourced the ascribe codebase to the interested community.”
Its founder, Trent McConaghy, wrote in 2021: “ascribe had a six-month wind-down period in 2018 during which users could make copies of what they owned.” He also wrote: “Of course, everything on-chain stayed on-chain”. The same post says the database of work details and the stored artwork files were not kept after the wind-down.
Sources: ascribe.io, read 1 Nov 2026, and ascribe for NFT Archaeologists, read 1 Nov 2026.
Tierion (original application)
Tierion’s original app helped developers anchor data to Bitcoin from 2015. In May 2018 the company announced it was retiring the app to build a new product, and wrote: “Existing Tierion customers can continue to use the original application at https://v1.tierion.com until December 31st 2018”. It recommended that users move to its Chainpoint protocol.
Source: The Original Tierion Application Is Retiring To Make Way For Proof, read 1 Nov 2026.
Binded
Binded offered image registration on Bitcoin for photographers and artists. After Pixsy acquired it in September 2019, its site said: “As of September 30th, 2019, the Binded platform will be shutdown and migrated to Pixsy.” The same page says Pixsy “will continue to offer the core features of Binded”.
Source: binded.com, read 1 Nov 2026.
What these closures have in common
- Users were given notice. Each source describes a date or a wind-down period, not an overnight switch-off.
- Records on a public blockchain stayed there. Data the service kept on its own servers was a different story: in ascribe’s case, it wasn’t kept.
- Checking an old record needs your own copies. WIPO says it plainly: you need the unchanged original file and the token.
How TimeBinder is different, and how it isn’t
TimeBinder is a company too, and it could change or close. We don’t claim otherwise. Here’s what you hold yourself, and what depends on us.
- Your file stays with you. Files are hashed in your browser and never uploaded. TimeBinder never holds a copy, so keeping the original file is up to you.
- What a TimeBind shows. That your files existed no later than the recorded time, and that they still match their fingerprint, as long as you keep the exact files.
- You get a certificate and a proof file. Each TimeBind comes with a Proof of Time Certificate, a PDF with a QR code and the Bitcoin transaction ID, and a proof file. Download both and store them with the file.
- Pooled and ASAP differ in what depends on TimeBinder:
- 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.
The Pooled vs ASAP explainer covers the difference, and how it works explains fingerprints and certificates. If a record matters to you over the long term, ASAP is the option that doesn’t rely on us for checking. Our service commitments are set out only in the TimeBinder Terms and Conditions.
What to keep, whatever service you use:
- The original file, unchanged, in at least two places.
- Its SHA-256 fingerprint, written down. The free SHA-256 file hash checker works it out on your device.
- Every certificate, token, receipt or proof file the service gives you.
What a TimeBind does NOT do
- It doesn’t show who made a file, or who owns it.
- It doesn’t show the contents are true, original, or made without AI.
- It doesn’t replace your own copy of the file.
- A Pooled TimeBind can’t be checked without TimeBinder.
- It can’t say how a court, buyer or anyone else will judge it.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your situation, speak to a lawyer in your country.
When TimeBinder isn’t the right tool
- You want a service to store your files for you. TimeBinder doesn’t keep files. Use your own backups or a storage service.
- You need a government registration. A TimeBind isn’t a registration with any copyright or IP office.
- You need every record checkable without any company. Use ASAP, or an open, free tool where you manage the proofs yourself.
- You need to show who made something. A timestamp doesn’t show that.
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.
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 records you make each month, see which plan do I need.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are WIPO PROOF tokens still valid?
WIPO’s page says: “All WIPO PROOF tokens remain indefinitely valid.” To check one, WIPO says you need the unchanged original file and the token.
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What happens to my records if a proof service closes?
It depends on the service and on what you kept. In the closures above, records written to a public blockchain stayed there, but checking them still needed the user’s own file and record.
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Could TimeBinder close?
Any company could. That’s why we suggest keeping your file, its fingerprint, and your certificate and proof file yourself. ASAP records can be checked without relying on TimeBinder. Our service terms are in the Terms and Conditions.
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Why aren’t more services on this list?
We include a closure only when we could read a source for it: an official notice, the service’s own page, a first-hand account, a reputable news report or an archived copy. Several candidates didn’t meet that test.
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Does TimeBinder store my files?
No. Files are hashed in your browser and never uploaded. Only their fingerprints are recorded.
TimeBind your files
Try a record you hold yourself: start with a Pooled TimeBind. The Free plan includes 1 Token a month, and no credit card is required. See plans and pricing →
