Protect Your Code. Prove Your Timeline.

The Software IP Problem

Software companies face a unique IP challenge. Unlike physical inventions, software is:

• Easy to copy — source code can be duplicated in seconds
• Hard to date — file system timestamps are unreliable; Git dates are forgeable
• Incrementally developed — thousands of commits over years, no single “creation date”
• Often disputed — patent trolls, employee departures, contractor disputes, open source licensing conflicts

When a dispute arises — “who wrote this algorithm first?” or “when was this feature implemented?” — the company with better evidence wins. And “better evidence” means evidence that’s:

1. Independently verifiable — not just internal logs
2. Tamper-proof — not modifiable by anyone in the organization
3. Precise — down to the exact file contents and timestamp
4. Permanent — available years or decades later

Why Git History Isn’t Enough

Git is the standard for version control, and Git commits do have timestamps. But they have a critical weakness for evidence purposes:

git commit --date="2020-01-01T12:00:00" -m "Antedated commit"

That’s it. Anyone can set a Git commit date to any value. Git’s author date and committer date are both user-configurable. Even GIT_COMMITTER_DATE can be overridden.

For internal development tracking, this doesn’t matter. For legal evidence, it’s disqualifying. An opposing counsel who mentions --date in their objection will significantly weaken your Git-based evidence.

GitHub timestamps are slightly better (they reflect when GitHub received the push), but GitHub is a centralized platform controlled by a single company. In theory, GitHub’s database could be modified. In practice, it’s probably reliable — but “probably reliable” isn’t the standard you want in court.

A blockchain timestamp provides the missing layer: independent, decentralized, cryptographic proof that your code file’s hash was anchored at a specific time.

Practical Workflows for Software Teams

Release timestamping

The highest-impact, lowest-effort approach. Timestamp your release artifacts at each version:

1. Build your release (binary, archive, Docker image exported as tar)
2. Timestamp the artifacts via the TimeProof API or dashboard
3. Store the timestamp certificates alongside your release notes

This creates a verifiable release timeline. If someone claims their patent predates your v2.3.0 release, your blockchain timestamp proves otherwise.

Milestone timestamping

At significant development milestones — feature completion, architecture decisions, significant refactors — export a repository snapshot and timestamp it. This creates checkpoints in your development history that are anchored externally.

Algorithm protection

For novel algorithms or unique implementations that represent core IP, timestamp the specific source files. This is especially valuable before:

• Publishing a paper
• Open-sourcing a component
• Filing a patent
• Sharing with potential partners or investors

Compliance documentation

SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA — compliance frameworks require evidence of when policies, procedures, and controls were implemented. Blockchain timestamps create audit trail evidence that’s independent of your internal systems.

The Patent Troll Defense

Patent trolls (Non-Practicing Entities) file vague software patents and then sue companies that independently developed the same functionality. Your best defense is prior art: evidence that the claimed invention was already known before the patent’s filing date.

A timestamped code release that predates the troll’s patent filing is powerful prior art evidence:

• Exact file contents are locked by SHA-256 hash (the code can’t be questioned)
• The date is anchored by blockchain consensus (can’t be backdated)
• Anyone can verify (including the Patent Trial and Appeal Board)

For companies that might face patent challenges, timestamping releases is cheap insurance. A 100-credit pack covers 100 scheduled artifacts, and larger packs or monthly plans cover regular release trains without introducing a separate credit type.

Integration with CI/CD

For automated workflows, integrate TimeProof into your build pipeline:

# Example: timestamp release artifacts after build
- name: Timestamp release
  run: |
    # Hash the release archive locally
    sha256sum dist/release-v${VERSION}.tar.gz
    # Submit hash to TimeProof API
    curl -X POST https://api.timeprooflabs.com/timestamp \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $TIMEPROOF_API_KEY" \
      -d '{"hash": "'$(sha256sum dist/release-v${VERSION}.tar.gz | cut -d' ' -f1)'"}'

This ensures every release is automatically timestamped without developer intervention. Use Scheduled mode for automated pipelines — the low-gas batch window is fast enough for release artifacts, and the 1-credit cost keeps bulk automation economical.

What to Timestamp

Cost for Software Companies

For context: a single hour of patent attorney time costs $400-$800. A year of comprehensive code timestamping costs less than a single paragraph of patent opinion.