For game developers

Timestamping for game developers

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. For game developers, it is a dated record that builds, art and design documents existed no later than a recorded time and still matches, if a publisher, studio or contractor later disputes it.

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.

Open TimeBinder app

Game projects produce thousands of files, and a few of them matter a lot later: the design document you pitched, the vertical slice you showed a publisher, the build you sent a contractor. Timestamping gives those files a dated record. TimeBinder^® makes a fingerprint of each file on your own device and records the fingerprint on the Bitcoin blockchain. The file itself stays on your device. Later, you or someone you share it with can check that the file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. A TimeBind doesn’t protect a game idea, show who made the file, show that code or art wasn’t made with AI, or say how a court will treat it.

When game teams need a dated record

Pitching to a publisher or investor. Timestamp the pitch deck, design document and build before you send them. See how to pitch an idea to a company without it being stolen.
Working with contractors. Record what you owned before the work started. Read how to record background IP before a client contract.
Game jams and team splits. When a small indie team breaks up, a dated set of files helps everyone see what existed and when.
Store launches and trailers. Keep a dated copy of the store page text, key art and trailer you released.
Before showing a prototype. If you’re still at the idea stage, read how to protect an app idea or how to protect a board game idea.

What to timestamp

File	Why it matters	When to timestamp
Game design document (GDD)	Shows your design at a point in time	At each major revision
Pitch deck and vertical slice build	What you showed others	Before you send or present it
Source code (as an archive)	Your code base at a release	At each milestone or release tag
Concept art and 3D models	Visual work that may be copied	When finished, and at key versions
Music and sound effect stems	Audio that may be reused	At final mix
Store page text and trailer	What you published	Before launch

For format-specific steps, see dating source code before a release, dating a 3D model or STL file and dating WAV stems. For art, audio and builds you are about to share, see how to timestamp video game assets before sharing.

How timestamping for game developers works with TimeBinder

Choose the file. A build, a zipped project folder, a design document, an art file or an audio stem. A TimeBind can hold up to 10 files.
TimeBind it. TimeBinder makes a fingerprint (a SHA-256 hash) of each file on your device and records it on the Bitcoin blockchain. You get a Proof of Time Certificate.
Keep the exact file and the certificate together. The fingerprint matches only those exact bytes. Rebuild or re-export, and you have a new file with a new fingerprint.

To check later, use the same file and the certificate to check a file still matches its fingerprint. See how TimeBinder works for the details, or the source code timestamping page for code bases.

Git history and a timestamp

Git records commit dates, but those dates come from the computer that made the commit and can be set by the person committing. Hosted repositories add their own records, which belong to the host. A timestamp of a release archive adds a date that doesn’t depend on your machine’s clock. Many teams use both: Git for the detail of who changed what, and a TimeBind for key milestones. Read more about Git commit dates as evidence of timing.

Copyright, trade marks and contracts in brief

Code and art are covered by copyright. The Attorney-General’s Department lists "literary works (books, articles, computer programs, software code, song lyrics and poems)" and artistic works such as drawings (source). It also says "Copyright does not protect ideas or information, only the original expression of ideas or information."
There’s nothing to register in Australia. "Copyright protection is free and automatic in Australia. There is no formal registration system" (source).
Game names and logos. For brand protection, IP Australia’s trade marks pages explain what trade marks are and how to apply.
Contractors. IP Australia says: "In Australia, IP created by a contractor is the property of the contractor unless otherwise stated in the contract" (source). Put ownership in writing before work starts.
United States. The US Copyright Office’s Circular 61 lists video games among the works it covers, and says "The copyright law does not protect the functional aspects of a computer program, such as the program’s algorithms, formatting, functions, logic, or system design" (source).

What a TimeBind does not show

It doesn’t show who made the file, that the code or art is original, or whether AI was used.
It doesn’t protect a game idea or mechanic, and it isn’t copyright or trade mark registration.
It doesn’t show who owns the work, or how a court, publisher or platform will treat it.
It records the time the TimeBind was made, not the day you made the file.

When TimeBinder isn’t the right tool

You want to protect a game name or logo. That’s a trade mark question for IP Australia or an attorney.
You need a full change history. Version control does that. A TimeBind records milestones, not every commit.
You no longer have the original file. A match can only be checked against the exact file.

A dated record for work in circulation

Builds and design documents are shared with publishers, artists and contractors, and copies can be changed. A TimeBind records the fingerprint of each exact file, adding a layer of protection against disputes about what existed when, including AI-altered copies. It shows when a file existed; it does not show who made it.

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

If you are about to ship a game, or a similar title has appeared, the free game clone record checklist helps you review the dated builds, source and listing captures you still hold. It cannot show ownership or that another title was copied.

FAQ

Can I protect a game idea?

Not with copyright alone. The Attorney-General’s Department says copyright protects the original expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves. Keep the idea confidential, use written agreements, and keep dated records of the documents and builds that express it.

Should I timestamp every build?

Usually not. Timestamp milestones: the builds you send to others, release candidates and anything you pitch. A TimeBind can hold up to 10 files, so you can group a build with its design document.

Does my build or source code leave my device?

No. Each file is fingerprinted on your own device. Only the fingerprint is recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain, and TimeBinder doesn’t store your files.

Is my Git history enough?

Git is good for detail, but commit dates come from the committer’s computer and can be set by the person committing. A timestamp of a release archive adds a date that doesn’t depend on your own clock.

Can a TimeBind show my art or code wasn’t made with AI?

No. A TimeBind shows that a file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. A dated series of drafts and working files can support your account of how you made something, but it doesn’t show whether AI was used.

General information, not legal advice.

Builds, source and Git

Assets, art and ideas

Start with your current milestone

Date your next build or pitch pack before you share it. Start with the build, design document or art you’re about to share. The Free plan is $0 and includes 1 Token a month.

Freeze the exact build, design document or art pack you are about to share. Work from a copy so the recorded files can stay unchanged.
Open the TimeBinder app and add those files (up to 10 in one TimeBind). Your browser makes the fingerprints; the files stay on your device.
Download the Proof of Time Certificate and keep it with the files you sent.

See plans and pricing