⌚ Protect an Idea with an Ethereum Timestamp
HOW THIS WORKS: (1) Enter anything you like below in the textbox to create a record of it -- ideas, various IP notes, or anything else you like. As you type, the tool creates a SHA-256 fingerprint (aka a hash) of your text. (2) When you're ready, connect an Ethereum wallet and click "Protect My Idea" to store that hash on the Ethereum blockchain in a 0 ETH transaction (plus gas fees). The transaction is sent from your connected wallet to a neutral public anchor address, with the hash included in the transaction data. This creates a timestamped record that can be used later to demonstrate the existence of that text at the time of the transaction. (3) Keep the text file and metadata together as proof (you'll be prompted to do this upon success), but know that only the hash is stored on-chain. Your original text is not uploaded, stored, or placed on-chain; only the hash is included in the transaction data.
Later, if you need to demonstrate that a specific text existed at the time of the transaction, you can use the utility below, along with your saved text, to show that the SHA-256 hash of that text matches the hash stored in the Ethereum transaction data. This proves that, as of the date of the transaction, your text existed exactly as shown, as the hash would not match otherwise. This is not legal advice and does not replace formal copyright registration.
✍️ Step 1: Enter Your Text or Idea
Paste your text directly here. Your data is 100% private! It is processed locally in your browser and is not uploaded, stored, or sent to a server. Only the hash will be sent to Ethereum if you choose to continue.
Suggestions: As stated, this will not automatically provide copyright protections, and technically it does not prove that YOU created whatever you write here. But it does prove that you possessed whatever information you type as of the date you run the transaction. As such, I would personally recommend asserting various "facts" within your text block. For example, state your name and detail when you came up with the idea, etc. I feel like all of this should help improve the value of doing this.
SHA-256 Hash (updates as textarea changes): No hash yet.
⛓️ Step 2: Store Hash on Ethereum
Connect an Ethereum wallet, then send a 0 ETH transaction from your wallet to a neutral public anchor address with the SHA-256 hash in the data field. This will incur a gas fee that you will need to approve. However, it should be fairly minimal. When successful, you will be prompted to save a text file with your original text and the metadata about the transaction. Keep these files together as proof of your idea and its timestamp. The metadata file includes the transaction hash, block number, wallet address, anchor address, and other details that can be used to verify the proof later. (See below for this.)
🔎 Returning Visitor? Verify a Saved Text File
Upload a previous proof .txt file. The app will load it into the textarea and recompute the SHA-256 hash. If this hash matches the hash stored in the Ethereum transaction data, the file contents match the original text anchored at that transaction time.