0 items
How?
Add the exact original files for this part of the record. Keep them unchanged; a different export or edit has a different fingerprint.
Add link and screenshots
The link is recorded, not fetched or verified.
does poor man's copyright work
Your manuscript, dated before the next submission.
Does poor man's copyright work — Your manuscript, dated before the next submission. Mailing yourself a manuscript is not a substitute for registration. Keep the drafts and a dated record alongside it.
The short answer
Copyright starts when an original work is created and fixed. For US works, registration is generally required before suing for infringement. Mailing yourself a copy is not a substitute for registration.
A time receipt adds a dated draft trail alongside registration. It does not establish authorship, copying or ownership.
US Copyright Office guidanceYour photos and files stay on your device, so keep them.
EXAMPLE
Novel or manuscript
1 Nov 2026
Authority time: 14:02 UTC · example
Bitcoin block time: 14:10 UTC · example
Last checked: 15:02 UTC · example
Bitcoin block time: 14:10 UTC · example
Last checked: 15:02 UTC · example
✓ Dated◆ Permanent
Now keep it safe: three things
- Keep your photos and files unedited. The receipt only matches the originals. Put them in an album such as “My records”.
- Save this receipt to your camera roll.
Keep the receipt file too. The image is a handy copy; checking needs the file.
- Email it to yourself.Email it to myself
Your mail app opens a draft. Attach your receipt image and receipt file. Don’t attach your photos or documents. Timevolt does not send it or know whether it was sent.
Your record, one step at a time.
Your photos and files stay on your device, so keep them.
Local preview: files are fingerprinted here. Notes and progress stay in this browser. Keep downloaded copies; browser storage is not a backup.
0 items
How?
Record the date, time, place and who you spoke to. New notes are saved separately rather than editing an old note.
How to keep notes that hold upWrite it down
By making a receipt you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy. The Bitcoin record is permanent.
By making a receipt you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy. The Bitcoin record is permanent.
How to keep notes that hold up
Write notes as soon as you can. Keep the original account rather than replacing it later; the venue decides what weight it gets.
- Write it down straight away, on paper or in the box on a step.
- Put the date, time and place at the top, and who you spoke to.
- Use their words where you can; separate what you saw from what you were told.
- Sign or initial a paper note, photograph it and add the photo.
- Never edit an old note. Add a new dated entry when something changes. A device save time is not independent time evidence or proof of event order.
Novel or manuscript
Novel or manuscript
01 · Keep the exact files
Export the manuscript and label the version. Keep the query letter or submission copy separately.
Records to keep: Manuscript
Novel or manuscript
02 · Date the file’s code
Your device fingerprints the selected file or manifest. Dated follows an independent timestamp; Permanent follows Bitcoin anchoring.
An independent time, tied to the exact bytes.
Novel or manuscript
03 · Keep the evidence
Repeat at draft milestones and before submissions. Keep each exact original; editing a file changes its fingerprint.
Keep the originals too. A changed or compressed copy has a different fingerprint.
Try a file. It stays here.
Make a test receipt on this device.
By making a receipt you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy. The Bitcoin record is permanent.
or drop a file here
Real cases: why dated versions matter.
Real cases where dated records mattered. We don’t claim a time receipt would have changed the result.
US · 2017 (docket 15-30472, filed June 29, 2017)
Big differences can defeat a copying claim
A writer said a book series copied an unpublished novel. The court kept the case closed because the works were too different; a rewrite of the claim would not help.
Summarized on Oct 29, 2026
Read the decision ›US · 2026 (docket 25-1287)
Show how a studio could access the manuscript
A novelist said a studio copied the novel. The court kept the case closed because the writer gave no facts showing how the studio could access it.
Summarized on Oct 29, 2026
Read the decision ›US · c. 2007 (per Loeb summary published Jan 2008)
Mailing a manuscript does not prove copying
A writer mailed a manuscript to agents and publishers, then claimed a film copied it. A case report says mailing and shared plot ideas were too weak, so the court threw the claim out.
Law-firm summary only; the primary ruling, court and exact date were not confirmed.
Summarized on Oct 29, 2026
Read the summary ›What courts, schemes and regulators say.
Positions below refer to the cited rule or record type, not endorsement of Timevolt. This service is not represented as an eIDAS qualified timestamp provider. A non-qualified timestamp does not receive the qualified timestamp presumption.
US Copyright Office
Mailing a copy to yourself ('poor man's copyright') has no provision in copyright law and is not a substitute for registration. Registration is needed to bring an infringement suit and enables statutory damages and fees.
Time receipt does not replace registration; present it as a complement. Registration within 5 years of publication is prima facie evidence.
Source summary as of 2026-10-28. Check the current source and applicable local rules.
Read the sourceeIDAS Regulation 910/2014, Art. 41
Electronic or nonqualified form alone is not a reason to deny a timestamp legal effect or admissibility. Other evidence requirements still apply. Article 41(2) addresses the qualified-timestamp presumption, and Article 42 its requirements; provider status alone is insufficient.
This describes the statutory evidence rule, not Timevolt qualification or a guarantee of admission. No claim about cross-border recognition is made here.
Source summary as of 2026-10-28. Check the current source and applicable local rules.
Read the sourceOther ways to do this
Prices change. Check each provider’s site for current prices and service details.
Related workflows.
Proves / Doesn’t prove
Proves
A completed time receipt shows that the exact selected file existed by the independently witnessed time. You can check whether a later copy has the same bytes. It does not establish creation time, authorship, identity, event order, location or the truth of the contents.
Doesn’t prove
It does not prove you wrote the text, that it is original, that anyone copied it, or that you own the copyright; it is not a copyright registration and courts decide what weight it gets.
This does not show who wrote it, originality, access or copying. Copyright registration remains separate.
These are the bounds of a completed proof. The local tester does not establish any time. The chosen court, scheme or regulator decides what to accept.
Questions, answered plainly.
Your file stays on your device. During normal receipt creation, your device sends a randomized code made from its fingerprint, plus encrypted recovery data. It doesn't send the plain fingerprint or the random value that opens the code. Keep the original file and the complete receipt for checking. Privacy Policy.
Is this the same as copyrighting my book?
No. In many countries you already have copyright when you write it. A time receipt shows these exact files existed by a date. It is not a registration. In the US you generally need to register before suing.
Source summary as of October 30, 2026. Check the current source and its scope.
Context for this answerDoes mailing a copy to myself work?
The US Copyright Office says it is not a substitute for registration, and a postmark shows when an envelope was handled, not what was inside. A time receipt dates the exact file contents instead.
Source summary as of October 30, 2026. Check the current source and its scope.
Context for this answerDo you upload or read my manuscript?
Your file stays on your device. During normal receipt creation, your device sends a randomized code made from its fingerprint, plus encrypted recovery data. It doesn't send the plain fingerprint or the random value that opens the code. Keep the original file and the complete receipt for checking.
What do 'Dated' and 'Permanent' mean?
Dated requires independently validated timestamp evidence. Permanent requires verified Bitcoin anchoring evidence with the required confirmations. The local tester issues neither status.
Does it prove I wrote it?
No. It proves the file existed by that time, not who made it. Drafts, notes and a clear series of dated versions help tell the story of who wrote it.
Why get a receipt for each draft?
A series shows how the book grew over time. Keep each version and its complete receipt with the native version history. The dates do not establish writing order. Changing even one character gives a different fingerprint.
Will a court or publisher accept it?
That is up to them. Courts and other bodies decide what evidence they accept, and infringement cases often turn on whether someone saw and copied your work. It is one useful piece of evidence, not a verdict.
Can I use it with AI-detection or 'human-written' claims?
It shows when a version existed, not how it was written. It can support your timeline but does not prove human authorship.
Source summary as of October 30, 2026. Check the current source and its scope.
Context for this answerThe file tester runs on your device. It does not issue a timestamp or take a payment.
Keep the records you already have.
Keep your original files and any existing official records while the receipt service is being prepared.