Frequently Asked Questions about the general concept of digital time stamping.

There is additional technical information at our corporate web site www.DigiStamp.com.
Also check the Software-Specific FAQ for more specific usage answers.

Table of Contents

1. Who should use this Digital TimeStamping service?
2. How much does e-TimeStamp cost?
3. How does e-TimeStamp differ from a notary?
4. Are the contents of my file kept confidential during TimeStamping?
5. How does this tool assist in copyright protection?
6. What types of files can be TimeStamped?
7. How do I create a TimeStamp?
8. What are the limits to the size of the files that can be TimeStamped?
9. How often do I e-TimeStamp a file that I'm working on?
10. Is the e-TimeStamp a legally recognized document?
11. What do I need to prove my e-TimeStamp is valid?
12. What if DigiStamp ceases to offer their time stamp service?
13. How can I get technical details about time stamps and international standards?

Anyone with intellectual property such as ideas, research, formulas, algorithms, books, teaching materials, etc.

See the related subject: What types of files can be TimeStamped?

Below is a list of professions that can benefit from e-TimeStamp. Some of the professions have an attached description that can been seen by clicking on the title

Accountants Architects Corporations Doctors Engineers Entrepreneurs Graphic Artists

Inventors Musicians Non-Disclosures Researchers Small Business Owners Software developers Writers

We continue to get mail from our users and are surprised by the diversity of uses for this product. This WEB page will be updated as we incorporate their experiences.

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How much does e-TimeStamp cost?

You download our client software application, IP-Protector, for no charge and there is a trial credit to help new users try the service.

Charges occur when you time stamp a particular computer file.  The charge for a single time stamp is USD $ 1.00 .  When someone needs to verify the authenticity of the time stamp, there is a charge of 5 cents. There is a $10 minimum for additions to your account after you have used your trial credit. Volume discounts begin after your first 1000 time stamps.

Non-profit organizations that are performing medical or environmental research are eligible for a 25% discount.

The prices were reduced to this level as of October 1, 2002. A new version of the software will be available in the next few weeks that will eliminate the need to charge for the verify transaction.

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How does e-TimeStamp differ from a notary?

Many people have historically used a notary to protect Intellectual Property. A notary is defined in many countries as a witness to a person’s presence and that they applied their signature to a page. The notary is not commonly a witness to the contents of your document or that the contents have not been altered. Now, the local notary can be updated with e-TimeStamp.

e-TimeStamp provides unequivocal proof that the contents of any computer file existed at a point-in-time and have not changed since that time. The digital stamp is virtually impossible to forge. A single e-TimeStamp can handle 1-1000 or more pages right from your computer - verifying the exact contents. The paper forms and cost associated with a notary is just old-fashioned for proving data authentication.

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Are the contents of my file kept confidential during TimeStamping?

Yes, using e-TimeStamp retains complete confidentiality: Only the file's fingerprint is sent over the Internet. From the fingerprint, it is not possible to discover the contents of your file. (additional information at How does e-TimeStamp Work)

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How does this tool assist in copyright protection?

e-TimeStamp helps the author prove when his/her idea was expressed - this is the moment under U.S. law when copyright protection begins. e-TimeStamp is especially effective for protecting work before the author knows whether it will be published.

In the U.S., your work is automatically protected by copyright law from the moment of its creation. This protection remains throughout the author's life, plus 50 years. It is important to note that this protection is given without obtaining a registered copyright. Official registration may be made at any time within the life of the copyright.

What's important is the ability to prove that you originated the work. e-TimeStamp is a tool that helps provide that proof for the author.

To demonstrate a possible scenario: A graphic artist creates 50 "candidate logos" in a week. All the logos are saved in a single computer file and that file is e-TimeStamped. Next, the artist shows those 50 logos to a potential client at a meeting. The client does not purchase any of the work. Six months later, one of those logos appears on the client's WEB site without the author's permission. At this time, the author submits the government registration copies and $20 to register the copyright for the infringed logo. The author can use the e-TimeStamp to prove that he had created this logo months before. The infringement case is easier to prove.

A simple e-TimeStamp for all your work helps prepare you for a possible infringement situation.

Copyright law can be complex and we suggest that you consult with your legal counsel. The U.S. Copyright Office web site has extensive information.

Another factor to consider is that if an official copyright registration (submit form, copies and $20) is made within 3 months after publication, statutory damages and attorney’s fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions. Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner.

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What types of files can be TimeStamped?

e-TimeStamp is truly versatile: any file on your computer can be TimeStamped.

That is one of the benefits of our new Digital Age; So many different kinds of things are captured in their digital form. To list a few:

· Word Processing documents · Artwork, Images, Photographs, and Video · Financial records

· Music Clips & Wave Files · Web Pages, Software source and executables

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How do I create a TimeStamp?

There are 3 easy steps to use e-TimeStamp:

1. You will need to install the e-TimeStamp software on your computer. This software will create and manage your e-TimeStamps

2. Run the newly installed software on your computer. The "create certificate" button will list the files on your computer. Choose the file that you want to create an e-TimeStamp for.

3.Once you've selected your file, the software computes your file's unique FingerPrint. Then, it automatically communicates over the Internet to retrieve an encrypted-electronic certificate containing the current time and your file's fingerprint. The software also saves the e-TimeStamp certificate on your computer.

The newly installed software can be used later to prove that the contents of your file have not changed since you created your e-TimeStamp certificate.

The e-TimeStamp software is easy to use. Additional information is available on this WEB site to give you more details about how e-TimeStamp works.

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What are the limits to the size of the files that can be TimeStamped?

You can TimeStamp a single page document, one of a 1000 pages or even more in a single document. The upper limit on a file's size is a million times larger than the capacity of your computer. In technical terms, the file size limit is up to 2⁶⁴ bits as described in the Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 180-1 "Secure Hash Standard" ). In conservative practice, the file size should kept to below 10's of mega bytes.

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How often do I e-TimeStamp a file that I'm working on?

You re-stamp a file if the contents have changed. The same file may undergo many revisions. Each time you feel the document has been significantly enhanced, you make a copy to a unique name. Then, e-TimeStamp the copy that will be saved in its current status (no more changes to the copy).

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Is the e-TimeStamp a legally recognized document?

In 1995, the American Bar Association published the Electronic Commerce Guidelines. The legal strength of e-TimeStamp is found in the unique hash value and encryption as well as the trusted third party. Several states have passed laws to recognize digital signatures. Nearly all states have begun to study how to take full legal advantage of this new digital tool.

You can read the latest information about the legal community's acceptance of digital signatures click here

The people at DigiStamp are not lawyers and we publish our legal counsel disclaimer here.

Please note that large corporations have used this technique for years as part of their proof of intellectual property rights. Now, due to the Internet technologies, this service is more universally available.

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How do I verify the authenticity of my TimeStamp certificate?

There are 2 things you will need to verify that your TimeStamp is valid at a future date:

1. The original, unchanged computer file which you selected when creating this certificate.
2. The e-TimeStamp certificate which is saved in the software we provided you

The e-TimeStamp certificate contains your file's fingerprint and the TimeStamp. These are electronically sealed in the e-TimeStamp certificate and stored on your computer.

The e-TimeStamp software on your computer is used to do the verification (described in more detail here). There are two buttons, "re-check fingerprint" and "verify TimeStamp".

Anyone with the e-TimeStamp software installed could verify your TimeStamp. You can choose to send your original file and the e-TimeStamp certificate to someone as proof of the content at a point in time.

Your timestamps can also be verified without using e-TimeStamp software. Additional technical details are available in the question below.

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What if DigiStamp ceases to offer their time stamp service?

You can verify a time stamp without contacting DigiStamp - you do not depend upon DigiStamp offering this service or being in business. A time stamp from DigiStamp does not expire.

Our time stamps are provided as an industry standard 'digital signature' record. Therefore, other software can be used to verify a time stamp from DigiStamp. You would need:
1. Your original, unchanged file
2. The time stamp you create using DigiStamp's service
3. Our public key, an x.509 public key certificate

A copy the public key certificate is transferred to your computer when you create your time stamp. The certificates can be retrieved manually from the DigiStamp web site here.

For example, we have customers that use our service inside Microsoft and Java applications. These customers use the Digital Signature capabilities that are built into Java or the Microsoft OS to verify the time stamps locally - without contacting DigiStamp. Additional technical details are available in the question below.

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How can I get technical details about time stamps and international standards?

Our companion web site at DigiStamp, Inc. provides time stamp integration services for software developers. That web site has extensive information about the underlying technologies, the time stamp process and the associated encryption standards. Please review www.DigiStamp.com.

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