If you worry someone will take your lyrics, timestamp the exact lyric file and any demo that carries those words before you share them. TimeBinder® makes a fingerprint in your browser. The file stays on your device. You get a checkable Proof of Time Certificate that shows this exact file existed no later than a recorded time. It does not show who wrote the lyrics, who owns them, or that a line was copied. Free to start.
Table of Contents
The routine: timestamp before you send the lyrics
- Export a settled lyric sheet (PDF or plain text) and, if you have one, the voice memo or demo that uses those words.
- Optional. Check the hash with the free SHA-256 hash checker.
- Timestamp both in one TimeBind. Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required.
- Save the Proof of Time Certificate next to the files.
- Then send to a co-writer, artist or publisher.
- New verses or rewrites are new files. Timestamp the version you care about before it leaves.
See how to timestamp a file and protect your music before sending.
Drafts, notes apps and screenshots
Phone notes and screenshots can help as a story, but their dates sit on devices you control. A fingerprint of an exported lyric PDF is harder to dismiss as “I changed the phone clock.” Keep the early drafts too if the dispute may be about who had which verse first. See does posting online prove you made it first?.
Co-writes and splits
When two people write in the same room or chat, fill a split sheet the same day and timestamp it with the lyric file. The split records shares; the timestamp dates the files. For session disputes about whole songs, see accused of copying a song?.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it doesn’t
A TimeBind shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time. It does not show authorship, ownership or copyright, and it does not prove another song copied yours. Keep drafts, messages and contracts as well. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Should I timestamp every lyric draft?
Timestamp the versions you share or that mark a clear stage (first verse, full draft, final). You do not need a TimeBind for every typo fix.
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Is a Notes app export enough?
Export to a file and timestamp that file. Do not rely only on the app’s on-screen date.
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What if I only have a photo of handwritten lyrics?
Timestamp the photo file, and keep the paper. A clearer typed export is easier to compare later.
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Does registering with a PRO replace this?
No. PRO registration is about collection and representation, not a date on your lyric file. See does registering with ASCAP or BMI prove you wrote it?.
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What does it cost?
Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that, from US$5; ASAP is US$15. See plans and pricing
Timestamp your lyrics before you share
Show that this exact file existed no later than a recorded time. Files stay on your device. Get a checkable Proof of Time Certificate. Free to start. Open TimeBinder
