Proof of Prior Creation

Proof of prior creation is evidence that a work — text, image, composition, software, design — existed at a specific date, in a specific form. It does not prove authorship in an absolute sense, but it proves priority: "I created this before you did."

It is a defensive tool, not an offensive one. It is useful if someone disputes the date of your creation, tries to claim their work predates yours, or if you need to prove you did not copy someone else.

Mailing yourself a copy (the so-called "poor man's copyright") proves nothing: email metadata is easily falsified and courts do not accept it as valid evidence.

A solicitor's attestation provides a certified date — but the solicitor attests to the date you presented the document, not the date you created it.

Copyright registration with the UK Copyright Service or the US Copyright Office establishes a strong legal presumption, but it is a formal and sometimes slow process.

A blockchain timestamp works differently: it extracts a unique digital fingerprint (SHA-256 hash) of your file, then anchors that fingerprint in the Bitcoin blockchain. The result is cryptographic proof that this file existed, in this exact state, at a precise date and time.

This proof is verifiable by anyone, anywhere in the world, for free, forever. It depends on no server, no company, no government. As long as the Bitcoin blockchain exists, the proof exists.

This is what Incipite does, using the open OpenTimestamps protocol created by Peter Todd — one of Bitcoin's pioneers.

Proof of prior creation is not a copyright registration. It does not automatically grant you rights — those rights arise at the moment of creation, in most legal systems.

It does not replace copyright registration, which provides stronger legal presumptions in court. Think of blockchain timestamping as an additional layer: fast, inexpensive, independently verifiable — and available today, before you know whether you'll need it.