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Frequently asked questions

Everything creators ask about protecting their work on-chain: legal standing, certificates, privacy, and billing.

The basics

What is IPWeb3?

IPWeb3 registers your creative work on a public blockchain and gives you permanent, independently verifiable proof of when you had it and that it has not changed since. You upload your file, we handle everything technical, and you get a certificate plus a permanent public verification page.

What does registering my work actually do?

A unique fingerprint of your file (its SHA-256 hash) is recorded on the Polygon public blockchain together with the registration date. Because the record is immutable, it becomes tamper-proof evidence that your exact file existed at that moment. That is the strongest position you can be in if someone later claims your work as theirs.

Is this the same as registering a copyright?

No, and that matters. Copyright protection arises automatically when you create an original work; what creators usually lack is dated evidence. IPWeb3 gives you that evidence. If you also want a formal registration with an IP office, we offer official filing services (EUIPO for trademarks in the EU, IP Australia for Australia and New Zealand based applicants) on top of the on-chain protection.

What types of work can I protect?

Any digital file: illustrations, character designs, scripts, manuscripts, music, video, photography, 3D models, comics, game assets, logos, and more. If it matters to you and it is a file, it can be protected.

Legal standing

Does on-chain proof hold up in court?

Courts have already accepted it. The Hangzhou Internet Court in China accepted blockchain evidence in 2018, and the Court of Marseille recognised blockchain timestamping as legitimate evidence of copyright ownership in 2025 (a ruling highlighted by the EUIPO). Under the EU eIDAS regulation, electronic timestamps cannot be denied admissibility as evidence solely for being electronic.

What is the difference between Standard and EU Legal certificates?

Both include the same immutable on-chain proof. EU Legal adds a qualified electronic timestamp under eIDAS Article 42, issued by a Qualified Trust Service Provider on the official EU Trusted List. Qualified timestamps carry a legal presumption of accuracy across all 27 EU member states, which means a challenger has to disprove your evidence instead of you defending it.

Does the protection work outside the EU?

Yes. The on-chain proof is borderless: the public blockchain record can be verified from anywhere, and courts in a growing number of jurisdictions accept it as digital evidence. The eIDAS layer adds specific legal weight inside the EU, and the underlying timestamp standard (RFC 3161) is recognized worldwide.

Certificates and verification

What do I get after registering?

A certificate (PDF) with every proof coordinate printed on it, including your file's SHA-256 fingerprint, the blockchain transaction, the block number, and the on-chain date, plus a permanent public verification page you can share with anyone.

Can someone verify my certificate without contacting IPWeb3?

Yes, that is the point. The certificate includes a page titled Verify This Certificate Yourself, Forever with plain instructions: compute the SHA-256 of the file, confirm it matches the value printed on the certificate, then open the transaction on any public Polygon explorer and confirm the date. No IPWeb3 account, website, or permission is needed.

What happens to my proof if IPWeb3 shuts down?

Your proof survives. The record lives on a public blockchain that nobody, including us, can edit or delete. Your certificate carries everything needed to verify it independently, so the evidence keeps working even if our website, our database, and our company are all gone.

Files and privacy

Who can see my work after I register it?

Your work is private by default. The public verification page shows the proof details you choose to share, and you decide if a work appears in any public listing. What goes on the blockchain is the fingerprint of your file, not the file itself, so nobody can reconstruct your work from the public record.

Where is my original file stored?

Your file is stored on distributed permanent storage so the proof stays connected to the actual work. You always keep your own original too, and verification works with your local copy alone.

Account and billing

Do I need to understand blockchain or own a wallet?

No. We handle all of it. You sign up with an email like any other service, upload your work, and receive your certificate. There is nothing technical to set up and nothing to maintain.

How much does it cost?

Current plans and per-registration pricing are always on the pricing page. Registration is a one-time payment per work, and the proof it creates is permanent, there is no recurring fee to keep your evidence alive.

Can I take ownership of the on-chain record myself later?

Yes. If you ever want direct control, the on-chain record of your work can be transferred to an address you own. Most creators never need this, but the option is yours.

Still need help?

Write to us and a real person will get back to you, usually within one business day.

Contact Support

Looking for plans and pricing? See the pricing page · Want the legal detail? EU Legal protection