Creator Evidence Pack
Build a private evidence record for a finished work: local SHA-256 file fingerprints, your declared creation timeline, draft history, and an optional public-blockchain timestamp for the record.
A useful evidence record answers three different questions without blurring them together. What exactly is the finished work, byte for byte? What did the creator declare about when it was completed and where it appeared? And can a third party later reproduce those answers from the files themselves? This tool was built around that separation. It calculates SHA-256 fingerprints locally, places your declared dates and publication history beside them, and exports a canonical JSON record whose own fingerprint can be checked again later.
Build the record in four parts: fingerprint the finished work, add the facts you are declaring, preserve the process path, then export or timestamp the finished record. Nothing is saved by Verystep.
1 · Finished work
Files up to 2 GB are read in 4 MB chunks on this device. About 500 MB is the comfortable practical range; very large files can take a long time, especially on a phone.
The file is fingerprinted locally and is never uploaded.
This is your statement, not a date this page can independently verify.
2 · Publication timeline — declared by you
Add each first publication or release you want preserved. The page records the entry; it does not fetch or validate the page at the link.
3 · Process files
Drafts, layered sources, project files, scans and earlier exports can preserve the human creation path. Labels are declared by you; fingerprints are calculated locally.
4 · Build and export the record
The record JSON uses a canonical field order. Changing any recorded value creates a different record fingerprint, so build a new record rather than editing a timestamped one.
5 · Optional public timestamp
This sends only the record fingerprint — 32 bytes — from your browser to a public OpenTimestamps calendar. No file, title, name, date or link is sent. A successful first response is a pending calendar commitment. Keep the downloaded .ots proof with the record JSON and upgrade it later with an OpenTimestamps client.
Verify a pack later
Choose the work, the record JSON and, if you have one, its .ots proof. Each result is reported separately. This quick proof check recognises the fingerprint and attestation type recorded in the .ots file; use an independent OpenTimestamps client when you need full validation against Bitcoin.
Quick answers
What does a Creator Evidence Pack prove?
It proves that a particular file matches the SHA-256 fingerprint in the record, and, once a timestamp has been upgraded to a Bitcoin attestation, that the record fingerprint existed no later than that attested time. It also preserves the creator’s declared completion date and publication timeline, but those declarations are not independently verified by the tool.
Keep the three levels separate: a file fingerprint is reproducible from the file; a declared date is a statement by the person making the record; a public timestamp is an external commitment for the record fingerprint. None of them, alone or together, decides authorship or ownership.
Is this the same as registering a work with the Copyright Office?
No. This is a private evidence record made in your browser. It is not a filing with the U.S. Copyright Office and does not replace the legal steps that may apply to a formal claim. It is also not legal advice.
Under 17 U.S.C. §§411 and 412, registration has legal consequences that a self-made evidence pack does not reproduce. The official Copyright Office registration and AI pages are linked in the source section below.
What leaves the device when the timestamp is used?
Only the 32-byte SHA-256 fingerprint of the canonical record is sent to a public OpenTimestamps calendar. The work, drafts, titles, names, dates and links in the record are not sent by this page.
The calendar response becomes the .ots proof in the downloaded pack. A new response is normally a pending calendar commitment, not instant Bitcoin confirmation.
How to use
- Choose the finished work. The page reads it in chunks on this device and calculates its SHA-256 fingerprint; large files stay out of memory as a whole.
- Enter the work title, your name or pen name, and the completion date. The date field is explicitly labelled “Declared by you” because the tool cannot independently know when the work was made.
- Add publication entries and fingerprint any drafts, project files or earlier versions that help preserve the creation path.
- Build the record. Check the record fingerprint, then download the JSON or the complete pack. The JSON is canonical, so changing any value changes its fingerprint.
- Optionally request the public timestamp. Only the record fingerprint leaves the device. Download the .ots proof and keep it beside the record JSON.
- Later, use the Verify section with the work, the record JSON and, if available, the .ots proof. It reports each check separately instead of giving one vague pass mark.
About this tool
The process files matter. A finished image, chapter, track or video proves what existed when this record was made, but drafts, project files, layered sources, scans and earlier exports can show the human path that produced it. You can fingerprint several of them here without uploading any of them. Their labels and dates remain your declarations; their fingerprints are reproducible calculations.
The optional timestamp uses the public OpenTimestamps system, not a Verystep database or a private chain. The browser sends only the record fingerprint to a public calendar. The calendar first returns a pending commitment; calendars aggregate commitments before they are anchored in Bitcoin, so a fresh proof must not be described as already confirmed. Keep the record JSON and its .ots proof together: either file is much less useful without the other.
Nothing in the pack turns a declaration into a fact. If a date, name or publication entry is wrong when entered, hashing it preserves the wrong statement very reliably. That is why the page labels every user-entered date “Declared by you” and reserves separate language for calculations and public timestamp attestations.
How it works
SHA-256 turns the exact bytes of a file into a 64-character fingerprint. Change one byte and the fingerprint changes. Re-running the calculation on the same bytes always gives the same result, which is how the Verify section can compare a later copy with the record without Verystep storing the file.
The record itself is assembled as canonical JSON: object keys are sorted, the same field order is produced every time, and the record fingerprint is the SHA-256 of that exact UTF-8 text. Download the JSON unchanged if you want the simplest later check.
OpenTimestamps works on fingerprints, not files. A public calendar accepts the record fingerprint and returns a proof containing a pending commitment. Calendars aggregate many commitments before anchoring them in Bitcoin. A proof can later be upgraded with an OpenTimestamps client; this page recognises pending and Bitcoin attestations already present in a proof, but it does not claim to have fetched a block or upgraded the proof for you.
Worked examples
A digital illustration: Fingerprint the exported PNG as the finished work, then add the layered project file and two dated working exports as process evidence. Declare the completion date, add the first publication URL, build the record, and timestamp the record fingerprint. A later repost can be compared byte-for-byte, while the drafts preserve the working path.
A manuscript chapter: Fingerprint the final DOCX or PDF, add earlier drafts as process files, and record where and when the chapter was first published. If an editor later sends back a changed copy, Verify reports a fingerprint mismatch rather than treating the two files as interchangeable.
No timestamp yet: A record without a timestamp is still useful as an organised, reproducible fingerprint record, but its completion and assembly dates remain declarations or device-clock information. The public timestamp is what adds an external time commitment for the record fingerprint.
Official sources and rights-holder routes
Use official sources for legal steps and platform notices. This tool is not affiliated with the U.S. Copyright Office, OpenTimestamps or the platforms below.
- U.S. Copyright Office — Registration: the official registration portal and guidance. This browser-made evidence record is not a filing there.
- Copyright Act, Chapter 4: the statutory text that includes 17 U.S.C. §§411 and 412.
- U.S. Copyright Office — Artificial Intelligence: official reports and guidance, including the 2025 copyrightability discussion relevant to AI-generated material.
- U.S. Copyright Office — DMCA: official background and designated-agent information. Only a rights holder or authorised agent should submit a notice; §512(f) addresses knowing material misrepresentations.
- YouTube Help — Submit a copyright takedown request
- TikTok — Copyright Policy
- Instagram Help — Copyright
- X Help — Copyright policy
- OpenTimestamps: the public timestamp standard, calendars and clients used for the optional external time commitment.
Links checked and working on November 6, 2026. Platform routes and legal guidance change; the current official page controls.
Frequently asked questions
Does Verystep receive or store my files?
No. The finished work and process files are read by your browser so their fingerprints can be calculated. They are not uploaded to Verystep or placed in an account. If you request the optional timestamp, the only value sent is the 32-byte record fingerprint, sent directly from your browser to a public OpenTimestamps calendar.
What is the difference between the file fingerprint and the record fingerprint?
The file fingerprint identifies the exact bytes of the finished work. The record fingerprint identifies the exact canonical JSON record, which contains the work fingerprint, your declared completion date, publication entries and process-file fingerprints. The timestamp anchors the record fingerprint, so the whole record is covered rather than only the finished file.
Why does the completion date say “Declared by you”?
Because this page cannot travel back in time or inspect your studio. You are the source for that date. The file fingerprint is calculated, and the public timestamp is external, but a date typed into a form remains a declaration. Keeping those levels distinct is what makes the record honest.
Does a timestamp prove I own the work?
No. A confirmed timestamp can support an argument that this record fingerprint existed by a particular time. It does not establish that the person who made the record created the work, owns the rights, or has a valid claim. It also does not prove that statements inside the record are true.
What if part of the work was AI-generated?
The U.S. Copyright Office’s 2025 guidance says purely AI-generated material may not be protected, while human-authored and human-selected or arranged elements need case-by-case analysis. That makes process evidence especially important: keep and fingerprint drafts, source files, selections, edits and other records of the human contribution rather than relying only on a final export. This page does not decide protectability.
Who may send a DMCA takedown notice?
Only the rights holder or someone authorised to act for them should send one. A notice must be made in good faith; knowingly making a material misrepresentation can create liability under 17 U.S.C. §512(f). Use the platform’s current official route linked below and keep a copy of what you submit.
Why is a fresh timestamp only pending?
A calendar first promises to include the commitment in a later aggregate anchored in Bitcoin. That promise is useful, but it is not the same as a completed Bitcoin attestation. Keep the .ots file and upgrade it later with an OpenTimestamps client; the Verify section will then recognise the Bitcoin attestation and block height recorded in the upgraded proof.
What happens if I edit the record JSON?
Any value change changes the canonical record fingerprint, so it will no longer match the .ots proof made for the earlier record. That is expected. Build and timestamp a new record instead of editing a timestamped one. Formatting-only changes may disappear when the JSON is canonicalised again, but you should still keep the downloaded original.
How large a file can I fingerprint?
The page processes files in 4 MB chunks and allows up to 2 GB, so the whole file is not loaded into memory at once. In practice, files up to about 500 MB are the comfortable range: very large files can take a long time, and a mobile browser may suspend a background tab before the calculation finishes.
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