For musicians, designers, writers and artists
Creator timestamping: a dated record of your music, designs, writing and art
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. For creators, that is a dated, checkable record that the exact demo, design, manuscript or artwork file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches, if someone later says they had it first, or that the file was different.
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.
In the TimeBinder app, drag and drop your file. Your browser creates its digital fingerprint. Your file stays on your device—we never receive or see its contents.
Your files stay on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of each file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.
Creator timestamping: the short answer
An independent, verifiable timestamp shows that an exact file, such as a demo, a design export, a manuscript or an artwork file, existed no later than a recorded time, and lets anyone check later that the file they are shown still matches its fingerprint. TimeBinder makes the fingerprint in your browser, so the file stays on your device. The time is anchored to a public record that no single party controls, so a collaborator, a publisher or the other side can check it without having to trust you or TimeBinder. To make one, click here to start.
It does not show who made the work, who owns the copyright, that the work is original, or that it was or was not made with AI. It is not a copyright registration. That is general information, not legal advice. 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.
Where a dated record helps a creator
Match the record to the moment the work is about to leave your hands: a send, a submission, a lease, a post or a release.
While you make it
Drafts, sketches, session bounces and works in progress you would want a record of, dated as you go.
Before you share it
The exact demo, design, manuscript or artwork you will send to a collaborator, a client, a label or a publisher, dated before you send it.
Before you publish
The release, post, listing or submission file, dated before it goes live, then kept with any receipt the platform gives you.
If someone disputes it
The stored file and its certificate, so you can show that this exact version existed by the recorded time and still matches.
A layer of protection for work that is about to circulate
Copyright in the United States, the United Kingdom and much of Europe generally arises automatically when an original work is fixed, for example in a file. Registration, where a register exists (as it does in the US), is a separate step and can have its own legal effects. In the UK and in much of Europe there is no official copyright register. A TimeBind does not register a copyright and does not show that you own one. It shows when an exact file existed, which is one record you can keep alongside contracts, split sheets and, where you choose to, a registration. See copyright registration vs a timestamp.
The same limit applies to AI disputes. A TimeBind does not detect AI and does not prove a work is human-made. It can show that this exact file existed by a recorded time, which may help if someone later says a file appeared only after a claim, or that a later copy is the original. Keep the working files, the drafts and the certificate together, and say only what the record shows.
Learning path: prove your drafts existed first, defend against AI fakes, then check file integrity
This four-stage path groups the guides we have written for creators. Start by dating the drafts and originals before they circulate. Then use that record if a fake appears, or if your own work is called AI. Then check whether a file still matches. The last stage covers Content Credentials, AI-assisted work and a routine you can keep. TimeBinder does not detect AI; a TimeBind is a dated, checkable record that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It is general information, not legal advice.
Prove your drafts existed first
Keep the native files and date them before you share, so you can show a version existed by a time and still matches.
AI-fakes defence
What AI fakes and false accusations tend to look like, and a calm plan if a release you did not make appears under your name, or if your own work is called AI.
How to protect yourself from AI forgeries, deepfakes and backdatingWhy working drafts and timestamps matter more than AI detectorsFalsely accused of using AI art: a calm planAuthor accused of using AI: what to say, what to showAn author accused of using AI: what the Goncourt case shows NewA fake or AI-made release on your artist profile: what to do and keep NewSpotify routes and the records to keepAI accusation casebookSomeone ran your photo through AICan you ask a chatbot whether an image or video is real?Real or AI? Photo quiz NewReal or AI? interiors quiz NewReal or AI? food ads quiz NewReal or AI? travel quiz NewReal or AI? product-photos quiz NewReal or AI? wildlife quiz NewReal or AI? pets quiz NewReal or AI? art quiz NewReal or AI? weather quiz NewReal or AI? architecture quiz NewReal or AI? cars quiz NewReal or AI? night-sky quiz NewReal or AI? plants quiz NewReal or AI? skylines quiz NewIs this person real? quiz NewReal old photo or AI? quiz NewReal train photo or AI? quiz NewStrange animals: real or AI? quiz NewReal sign photo or AI? quiz NewMusical instruments: real or AI? quiz NewMushrooms: real or AI? quiz NewUnderwater photos: real or AI? quiz NewReal cake or AI? quiz NewAbandoned places: real or AI? quiz NewReal crystal or AI? quiz NewTreehouses: real or AI? quiz NewEarth and turf houses: real or AI? quiz NewMiniatures and scale models: real or AI? quiz NewSwimming pools: real or AI? quiz NewBlown glass and glass ornaments: real or AI? quiz NewVolcanoes and lava: real or AI? quiz NewGiant vegetables: real or AI? quiz NewCould you spot these viral AI fakes? NewAI voice-scam red-flags checker NewFile integrity
A file date is easy to change. These guides show how to tell whether a file still matches, and how to check a fingerprint yourself.
Content Credentials, AI-assisted work and a routine
What Content Credentials can and cannot show, what to keep if you use AI tools in your own work, and a habit to date files before they circulate.
Content Credentials (C2PA) for creators: a field guide NewTurn them on, read them, know the limitsContent Credentials (C2PA) vs a timestampUsing AI as a writing tool: keep a dated record of your draftsGlaze, Nightshade and AI opt-outs: what they do and what a dated record adds NewHow artists can get ahead of AI tamperingA viral illustration offer was called AI
What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not
- It shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time, and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint.
- It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or how a file was made.
- It does not replace a copyright registration (where one is available), a contract, a split sheet, or advice from a lawyer about your own situation.
How to timestamp a creative file before you share it
- Freeze the exact file. Use the demo, design export, manuscript or artwork file as you will send or publish it. Opening and re-saving some formats can change them, so work from a copy.
- Name it for the send. Use a name that shows the version and the reason, for example a pre-label demo or a pre-submission manuscript.
- Create a TimeBind. Open the TimeBinder app and add up to 10 files. Your browser makes the fingerprints and the files stay on your device. Choose Pooled for drafts and everyday records or ASAP when the date must be recorded straight away.
- Keep the certificate with the file. Save the Proof of Time Certificate next to the exact file. Keep the original unchanged.
- Explain only what it shows. If a collaborator, a platform or the other side asks, give them the certificate and the exact file, and say that the file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. Nothing more.
Creator guides, comparisons and tools
Every guide, comparison and tool we have for musicians, designers, writers and artists, grouped by the kind of work. Start with the landing page for your craft: music, design, manuscripts or illustration.
- Music and audio
- Design, illustration and visual art
- Writers and authors
- Photos, video, podcasts and publishing
- Copyright registration, comparisons and tools
Music and audio
- Timestamp music files: show a demo existed by a dateThe music landing page, step by step
- Protect your music before sending it to a producer, label or publisher
- Show when a beat existed before you share it
- Timestamp beats before you lease them
- Worried about lyric theft? What to timestamp
- Is a voice memo proof you wrote a song?
- Sample clearance: records to keep before you release a track
- Co-writing session records and split sheets
- E-signing contracts, NDAs and split sheets
- Session musicians: timestamp stems before you send them
- Sync licensing pitch: what to timestamp
- Music cue records for composers
- Free checklist: proving when your music existedPDF
- TimeBinder vs StampR
- TimeBinder vs CreatorSeal
- Music copyright timestamping for lyrics and demosAn illustrative scenario
- Does registering a song with ASCAP or BMI prove you wrote it?
- Prove a sheet music score existed before a date
- Accused of copying a song? Evidence of independent creation
- YouTube Music AI-label decoderWhat a YouTube Music AI label does and does not show
Design, illustration and visual art
- Timestamping for designers and architects
- Timestamping for illustrators
- Protect your design before sending it to a client
- Prove a Figma or Sketch design existed before a date
- Prove a Photoshop (PSD) file existed before a date
- Before you send a product design to a manufacturer
- Illustrators: timestamp portfolio work before you post it
- Tattoo or commission art: timestamp before you send it
- Etsy or print-on-demand copies of your design
- How artists show when they made somethingA simple routine
- How to protect your patternsSewing, knitting and crochet
- Prove a Procreate illustration existed before a date
- Client used your design without paying: what to keep
- DMCA takedown for your artwork: what evidence to gather
- A viral illustration offer was called AI: what artists can keep
- How timestamping could help resolve a visual artist disputeAn illustrative scenario
Writers and authors
- Timestamp every draft: show a manuscript existed by a date
- Draft HistoryA dated trail of each draft
- A writer’s manuscript workflow: drafts plus a dated record
- How can a writer prove a manuscript existed before submitting it?
- How to protect your book from being copied
- Using AI as a writing tool: keep a dated record of your drafts
- Author accused of using AI: what to say, what to show
- An author accused of using AI: what the Goncourt case shows about detectors and drafts
- How to reply to an AI accusation
- When a prize winner discloses AI use: what writers should keep
- Prove a Word document or Scrivener project existed before a date
- Prove a screenplay existed before a date
- AI text watermarks: what they mean for writers
- WGA script registration vs a timestamp
Photos, video, podcasts and publishing
- Timestamp photos and videos
- Prove a RAW photo existed before a date
- Timestamp a photo series before you publish it
- Prove a video edit project existed before a date
- Photo contest or stock submission evidence
- Timestamp a podcast episode before you publish
- How to prove a photo is not AIWhat a date can and cannot show
- Content Credentials (C2PA) vs a timestamp
- NFT vs timestamp: does an NFT prove you made the art?
- Timestamping for agencies
- Someone ran your photo through AI: what a German appeal court said
- Can you ask a chatbot whether an image or video is real?
- How timestamping could help settle a creator video disputeAn illustrative scenario
- Real or AI? Photo quizTen side-by-side photo pairs, using objects and places, not real people
- Could you spot these viral AI fakes?A ten-question quiz on recent public cases
Copyright registration, comparisons and tools
- Copyright registration vs a timestampWhich do you need?
- Copyright registration in the US
- Copyright registration in the UKThere is no official register
- EU copyright without registration
- Copyright without registration: what evidence helps
- Poor man's copyright: is it valid?
- Does posting your work online prove you made it first?
- Do you have to disclose AI on a US copyright application?
- Best timestamping services for creators (2026)An honest comparison
- IP and creative industry overview
- Inventor timestamping
- Developer timestamping
- PricingFirst Pooled TimeBind free, then from US$5
- Password and account security for creators
- Free split sheet generator
- Unexpected track on your artist profile checklistA checklist if a release you did not send appears on your official artist profile. It cannot detect a fake track, and it is not an official platform tool.
- Marketplace listing-photo checklistA checklist before you publish a product listing. It is not an official marketplace tool, and it does not identify generated media.
- Photo contest entry checklistA checklist before you enter a photo or video contest. It does not identify generated media.
- Free SHA-256 hash checker
- AI watermark and label decoder
- Viral product-video red-flags checker
- Free AI crawler opt-out generator
- Free photo metadata remover
- Free Content Credentials (C2PA) checker
- YouTube Music AI-label decoder
- Real or AI? Photo quiz
- Could you spot these viral AI fakes?
- AI voice-scam red-flags checker
- Was this file changed? File comparison checker
- File date and metadata inspector
- Free folder hash generator and verifier
- Free checklist: proving a file existed by a datePDF
Free checklists for creative work
A short music checklist for songwriters and producers, and a general checklist that works for any file. Each one helps you record that a file existed by a date. Neither one shows who owns the work or that it is original.
Photographers can use the free published photo record checklist before a shot goes public, and if it is later questioned. Musicians can use the free AI music service upload checklist before they upload stems or references. Neither tool shows ownership, and the photo checklist cannot tell whether a photograph is generated.
Before you publish a podcast episode or a video that may need an AI disclosure, the free podcast and video AI disclosure checklist helps you review the current rules of each platform, the exact file you will upload, and the wording you will disclose. Platform rules are not the same, and the checklist cannot decide a label. If you are an illustrator about to accept a brief or deliver files when the job involves AI, see the free illustration commission AI brief checklist. It cannot decide a commissioning dispute, and it is not legal advice.
If the next delivery is a track that may need AI Credits or another DSP AI-use credit, see the free Spotify AI Credits release checklist. It cannot decide a platform label or a royalty outcome.
Before you use a Figma AI feature, or share a file that uses one, the free Figma AI terms checklist helps you review the current Figma AI Terms, the Content Training toggle, and the exact file and Output to keep. It cannot decide ownership, and it is not legal advice.
If the next delivery is a release to Apple Music, including one that may need AI transparency tags, see the free Apple Music AI transparency checklist. It cannot decide a store label or whether a persona meets Apple's tests.
If a YouTube copyright claim lands on one of your videos, the free YouTube copyright claim dispute record builder keeps a record of the notice, shows what to gather and drafts a short, factual dispute reason. It cannot see or decide your claim.
Three more free tools for creators: the impersonation and fake content evidence capture log keeps a dated log of fake posts or accounts you find, with screenshot fingerprints made in your browser; the video project asset licence log lists every track, clip, font and AI asset in a video and where its licence proof is; and the AI-assisted work human contribution log records what you made yourself and what a tool produced. None of them decides a legal question.
Two more free tools for creators: the reviewer AI use disclosure note builder drafts an honest note on how AI tools were used in a review you publish, and the AI likeness consent record builder writes down what a person agreed to when their face, voice or name is used in an AI project. Neither is legal advice, and the consent record is not a contract or a release.
For sponsored posts, the free Sponsored post disclosure log keeps a per-post record of what you were given or paid and how you disclosed it. It cannot say what any rule requires where you live and is not legal advice.
Creator timestamping: FAQ
What is creator timestamping?
It is a way to record that an exact creative file, such as a demo, a design, a manuscript or an artwork file, existed no later than a recorded time, and to check later that the file you are shown still matches. TimeBinder makes a digital fingerprint of the file in your browser and records the fingerprint with a time. The file stays on your device.
Does a TimeBind prove I own the copyright, or that I made the work?
No. It shows when an exact file existed, not who made it or who owns it. Copyright usually arises automatically when an original work is fixed, and ownership turns on the facts, contracts and the law where you work. A TimeBind is one dated record you can keep with those facts, not a substitute for them.
Should I still register a copyright in the US?
Registration is a separate decision. In the US, registration is not required for copyright to exist, but it can have legal effects if you later need to go to court. A TimeBind does not register a copyright. Our US registration guide and our comparison of registration and a timestamp set out the differences. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does a TimeBind prove my work is not AI-generated?
No. A TimeBind does not detect AI and does not show how a file was made. It shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time. If you want a fuller story, keep drafts, session files, RAWs or edit projects alongside the certificate.
I am in the UK or the EU, where there is no official copyright register. What should I keep?
Keep the work, the contracts, and a dated record of the exact files you rely on. A TimeBind can be that dated record. Our guides on copyright in the UK and on EU copyright without registration explain what a timestamp adds and what it does not.
What does it cost?
Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that a Pooled TimeBind is US$5 and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15, each for up to 10 files. A Pooled TimeBind is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, often sooner. An ASAP TimeBind is broadcast straight away; confirmation on the public record is not instant. People who timestamp often can use a monthly plan. Prices checked on the live pricing page on 11 November 2026.
Which files should I timestamp?
The files you are about to share, submit, lease, post or release, and any earlier draft you would be sorry not to have a record of. For music that is often the bounce, the stems and the split sheet; for design, the export you send; for writing, the manuscript you submit; for art, the final file and key sketches. Routine working saves rarely need one.
What public record is the time anchored to?
The fingerprint is anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain, a public ledger that no single party controls. An ASAP TimeBind is its own Bitcoin transaction and can be checked there without relying on TimeBinder. A Pooled TimeBind is batched with others and is verified through TimeBinder. Checking a certificate is free.
How can a creator show a work is not AI-made?
No tool can prove a negative on its own. What helps is a trail: native files, drafts, project files and exports kept in order, with dated records. A TimeBind records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file or that it was not made with AI, and TimeBinder does not detect AI.
What should I do if a release I did not make appears on my streaming profile?
Capture the page and links first, then report it through the platform's documented route and tell your distributor. Spotify, for example, documents a content mismatch form and an infringement or rule-violation report. Our guide sets out the routes and the dated records to keep.
Date your next demo, design or draft free
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you are about to share or publish.
- 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.
Creators who timestamp often: see pricing or which plan do I need?.