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.
how to copyright a song
Your song, dated before you share it.
How to copyright a song — Keep the demo you choose to share alongside the relevant registration records. A file date does not establish who wrote it.
Copyright and registration are separate.
Copyright begins when an original song is created and fixed. Mailing yourself a copy is not a substitute for registration. Registration is generally required before suing over a US work; a time receipt supplies a dated file record alongside it.
US Copyright Office guidanceYour photos and files stay on your device, so keep them.
EXAMPLE
Song demo
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?
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.
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.
Song demo
Song demo
01 · Keep the exact files
Start with the Copyright Office’s explanation of protection and registration. Keep exact demos and lyric drafts alongside it.
Records to keep: Audio · Lyrics
Song demo
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.
Song demo
03 · Keep the evidence
Keep original audio, lyrics and registration records. Record new versions separately before sharing.
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 federal, 5th Circuit · 2008
Keep proof of when a demo reached others
A songwriter said an artist copied a demo, but could not show it reached the artist before the disputed parts. The artist had a dated studio disc, while the writer relied on staff statements. The appeal court kept the artist's win before trial.
Summarized on Oct 29, 2026
Read the decision ›US federal, 6th Circuit · 2009
Studio logs can show which song came first
Writers claimed copying, but the other artists had a studio log and dated recording showing earlier work. The appeal court kept the artists' win before trial. It also kept the ruling that the artists would not get their lawyer fees paid.
Summarized on Oct 29, 2026
Read the decision ›US federal, 5th Circuit · 2020
Show who could hear your song and when
A songwriter claimed other artists copied a song. The reported decision found no proof they had a real chance to hear it. The appeal court kept their win before trial.
The opinion text was not independently reviewed; the supplied record reports this limited outcome.
Summarized on Oct 29, 2026
Read the decision ›US federal, 9th Circuit · 2020
Check which song version was filed for rights
A song owner wanted a recording with extra parts used to compare the works. Under the older law, the court used the filed sheet music to define the protected song. The appeal court kept the jury's verdict for the other artists.
The supplied verification confirms the holding but did not reread the full decision.
Summarized on Oct 29, 2026
Read the decision ›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
FAQ on poor man's copyright, when copyright begins, and registration
Copyright exists from creation and fixation. The FAQ says there is no provision in the law for mailing yourself a copy and that it is not a substitute for registration. Registration is required before suing over a US work and supports statutory damages, attorney's fees, and (if timely) prima facie evidence. A time receipt does not replace it.
Source summary as of 2026-10-28. Check the current source and applicable local rules.
Read the sourceFifth Circuit (Armour opinion)
Court weighed a time-stamped Pro Tools data disc and affidavits on creation dates
The court treated a file creation date as relevant evidence of sequence, but the case was decided on access and the plaintiff's admissions, so it is not a ruling on timestamp standards.
Source summary as of 2026-10-28. Check the current source and applicable local rules.
Read the sourceSixth Circuit studio-record decision (2009)
Court relied on a studio log and a dated recording to fix when a song was first created
Dated production records were accepted as the basis for the sequence of creation; no rule on third-party digital timestamps is stated.
Source summary as of 2026-10-28. Check the current source and applicable local rules.
Read the sourceNinth Circuit registered-deposit decision, en banc (2020)
Scope of an unpublished work's copyright is defined by the registered deposit copy under the 1909 Act
For older unpublished works the deposit decided what counted; recordings were not admitted on similarity. Shows why the exact version matters. The 1976 Act applies to newer works.
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 or own the song, that nobody else wrote it first or independently, that anyone heard it, or who would win a dispute; it is not a copyright registration.
This does not establish authorship, ownership, access or copying, and it does not replace registration.
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.
Does a time receipt copyright my song?
No. In the US your song is protected once it is written down or recorded. A time receipt shows these exact files existed by a date; it is not a registration.
Source summary as of October 30, 2026. Check the current source and its scope.
Context for this answerIs mailing myself a copy of my song enough?
The Copyright Office says there is no provision in the law for it and it is not a substitute for registration. A postmark shows when the envelope was handled, not what was inside.
Source summary as of October 30, 2026. Check the current source and its scope.
Context for this answerDo I need to register to sue someone for copying my song in the US?
Generally yes. The Copyright Office says registration is required before filing an infringement suit over a US work, and it is needed for statutory damages and attorney's fees.
Source summary as of October 30, 2026. Check the current source and its scope.
Context for this answerDo you upload or hear my song?
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.
Source summary as of October 30, 2026. Check the current source and its scope.
No usable source link supplied in this research row.Why get a dated record if copyright is automatic?
Disputes often turn on which version existed when and who could have heard it. Courts in song cases have looked at dated studio logs, file creation dates and who had access, and plaintiffs lost where they could not show those facts.
Source summary as of October 30, 2026. Check the current source and its scope.
Context for this answerShould I get a receipt for each new version?
Yes if the song changes. A receipt covers only the exact bytes you fingerprinted, so a new mix or lyric edit needs its own receipt. Chaining versions builds a timeline.
Source summary as of October 30, 2026. Check the current source and its scope.
Context for this answerDoes a private YouTube upload work as proof of date?
It gives a platform date, but it needs an upload to a third party and the date depends on one company's records. Some musicians argue such dates can be faked, so treat it as weaker evidence.
Source summary as of October 30, 2026. Check the current source and its scope.
Context for this answerWhat does a receipt cost?
See the Pricing page for current US-dollar plans and allowances. Fast is paused. Purchases open when receipts open.
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.