Creators, designers, authors, businesses
Prove prior creation, version after version.
In the EU, copyright arises from creation itself, without registration. You still need to show that the work existed on a given date. A timestamp for each version builds that proof of prior existence.
By Cyril Caturani, CTO of Proov-It · Updated
Under the Berne Convention principle applied across the EU, copyright arises from creation, with no formality. In a dispute, the question becomes: who can show that the work existed, and in what form, on a given date? To prove prior creation is to be able to date each version in a verifiable way.
With Proov-It, you submit the files of your creation: drawing, text, logo, mock-up, score, code. Each file's SHA-256 fingerprint is timestamped and anchored on a blockchain; any later change breaks it. Up to 20 files of 100 MB per submission, to gather versions, sketches and source files.
Official registration or deposit services exist in some countries and meet the same need. The two approaches complement each other: official deposits for key milestones, timestamps for each version along the way. In both cases, the proof concerns the existence of the content on a date, not authorship, which the court assesses.
Timestamp, official deposit, registered right: which one?
| Proov-It timestamp | Official deposit (e.g. France's e-Soleau) | Registered right: trade mark, design, patent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it establishes | That a file existed, unchanged, on the anchoring date | A certain date for the creation, to rely on in a dispute | An industrial property right in what is filed, once registered or granted |
| Creates a right? | No | No: France's INPI states that the e-Soleau confers no intellectual property right in its content | Yes, under the conditions of each right |
| When to use it | Throughout the work, for every version | At key milestones, before showing the work | When you want an exclusive right in a sign, a design or an invention |
| How often | Every version, one token per submission | Occasional; the e-Soleau is kept 5 years, extendable up to 20 | Once per right, then maintained under its own rules |
| Cost | Under €2 per submission for individuals, a few tens of cents on a business plan | e-Soleau: €15 up to 50 MB per 5-year period | Office fees, which vary by right |
Legal framework
What the law says.
Across the EU, an electronic timestamp cannot be denied legal effect or admissibility as evidence solely because it is not qualified (eIDAS Regulation, Article 41): it can be submitted as evidence, and the court assesses its weight. A timestamp creates no right of its own.
In France, the INPI states that its e-Soleau service confers no intellectual property right in the content filed, unlike a patent, trade mark or design filing; it gives the creation a certain date that can be relied on in a dispute. In 2025, the Marseille judicial court (20 March 2025, RG 23/00046) accepted blockchain timestamps, recorded by a commissaire de justice and supported by other evidence, to establish the prior existence of creations. It is a first-instance decision: it does not make blockchain anchoring sufficient proof on its own.
Step by step
Building proof of prior creation, version after version.
A strong file is a continuous one: a consistent series of dates rather than a single submission.
Gather the source files
Sketches, working files, exports: submit native files, not just a final PDF.
From the startSubmit every version
One submission at each significant stage: the series of dates tells the story of the work.
Every versionDescribe the submission
A precise comment (title, version, context) makes the file readable for a lawyer or a judge.
Submit before showing
Before a pitch, sending to a client or publishing: the date then precedes disclosure.
Before sharingAn official filing at key stages
An official deposit where one exists for major milestones; a registered right (trade mark, design, patent) if you want exclusivity.
Key stagesKeep the originals
Keep a copy of the submitted files: the certificate's fingerprint is checked against the file itself.
What Proov-It adds
What a timestamp establishes, and what it does not.
What the certificate establishes
- +That a file existed, unchanged, on the anchoring date.
- +The account that submitted it.
- +The chronological series of submitted versions.
What it does not establish
- −Authorship, which the court assesses in light of all the evidence.
- −An exclusive right: a timestamp creates no right and replaces neither an official deposit nor a registered right.
- −That nobody created the same thing before you.
Use cases
Prior creation: what creators date.
Drawings and illustrations
Every sketch and every final version, dated when it exists.
Logos and brand identities
The concepts shown to a client, before they circulate.
Texts and manuscripts
A manuscript, a script or an article, frozen at each writing stage.
Mock-ups and prototypes
Photos and design files of a product before it is presented.
Code and technical documents
A source code archive or a specification, dated at each delivery.
Music and audio
A demo recording or a score, submitted before release.
How it works
A proof in three steps.
No jargon, no technical skills. You submit or you capture, we certify.
Choose or capture
Documents, photos, videos. Or take a photo or video directly in the app.
Add the context
A comment, tags, a folder. To organise your proofs and find them easily.
Submit
You receive a PDF certificate attesting to the file's existence and integrity on the anchoring date and, for a capture made in the app, the geolocation recorded at that moment.
Does it hold up in court?
A Proov-It certificate can be produced as evidence; the court assesses its weight. We attest to the anchoring date, the integrity of the file and, for a capture made in the app, the recorded geolocation, not the truth of its content.
Frequently asked questions
What we are often asked.
Do I need to register a work to protect it?
Not for copyright: in the EU it arises from creation, without formality. A deposit or timestamp serves to prove that the work existed on a date if this is challenged.
What is the difference between an official deposit and a blockchain timestamp?
An official deposit is made with a public body or registry where one exists. A Proov-It timestamp is lighter proof anchored on a blockchain, suited to dating every version. Both can be submitted as evidence.
Does a timestamp prove that I am the author?
No. It proves that this file existed, unaltered, on the anchoring date, and who submitted it. Authorship is for the court to assess, in light of all the evidence.
Are my creations visible on the blockchain?
No. Only the file's fingerprint is written to the blockchain, and it reveals nothing about the content. Files are hosted in France and encrypted server-side.
Does a timestamp create a right in my work?
No. It proves that a file existed, unchanged, on a date. Copyright arises from creation; an exclusive right in a trade mark, design or invention requires filing with the competent office.
Keep reading
Related pages
Online proof for individuals
Neighbours, rentals, purchases, creations: prove the prior existence and integrity of any content.
Digital evidence for lawyers
Help your clients build dated evidence before litigation.
Timestamp comparison
Non-qualified timestamp, qualified timestamp, report by a public officer: evidential weight, cost and use of each tool, to choose for each case.
Timestamped photo evidence
eIDAS Article 41, national rules of evidence, the court's assessment: what gives a photo weight as evidence, and how a timestamp makes it stronger.
Also see: Features · How it works · Pricing · FAQ