01 — Legal Foundation

Blockchain timestamps
as legal evidence:
what you need to know.

Copyright law has always required proof. The question is what kind of proof courts actually accept — and whether you have it when it matters.

If your song is ever challenged, what matters isn't what you know — it's what you can prove.

02 — Global Landscape

Statutory / fixed damages:
rarer than you think

If your song is used without permission, what you can prove matters more than what you believe is fair.

SongProof

Out of roughly 177 countries, only about 24 allow statutory / fixed damages for copyright infringement. In most of the world, a creator who gets infringed must prove actual financial losses — which is notoriously difficult and expensive.

SongProof's for as low as $0.99 per song blockchain timestamp works across every jurisdiction shown below — creating independent, verifiable proof of creation regardless of local damage rules or registration requirements.
US United States
Creator Protection
Statutory / Fixed Damages 🔒 Registration Required

$750 – $150,000 per work

Registration required prior to infringement claim

Statutory damages: $750 to $30,000 per infringed work of a registered copyright holder.
Up to $150,000 in damages for willful infringement.
CA Canada
Creator Protection
Statutory / Fixed Damages ✓ No Registration Required

$500 – $20,000 per work

Registration available; not mandatory, but recommended

$500 – $20,000 for commercial infringement. Up to $5,000 total for non-commercial infringement. Actual and punitive damages may also be available in exceptional circumstances.
AE United Arab Emirates
Creator Protection
Penalty Based

AED 50,000 – AED 1,000,000

Ministry of Economy registration available; not mandatory

Fines ranging from AED 50,000 to AED 1,000,000 (approx. USD 13,600 to USD 272,000).
🌍 Arab World
Creator Protection
Prove Actual Loss

Actual loss only (most members)

No statutory minimum damages across most Arab states. Courts assess compensation based on proven harm. Egypt has the most developed framework under Law No. 82/2002. Saudi Arabia is modernizing under Vision 2030. Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman operate under separate national frameworks — always verify locally.
SongProof: Creates the independent, dated proof of authorship that supports claims across the Arab world's diverse legal landscape.
🇫🇷 France
Creator Protection
Prove Actual Loss

Actual loss only

No statutory / fixed damages — but home of the landmark March 2025 ruling recognizing blockchain timestamps as valid copyright evidence.
SongProof: The same blockchain timestamping method validated by the Marseille court in March 2025.
GB United Kingdom
Creator Protection
Prove Actual Loss

Actual loss only

No statutory / fixed damages. Courts require proof of actual financial loss.
SongProof: Provides the independent creation record courts evaluate when actual loss must be proven.
EU EU Member States
Creator Protection
Prove Actual Loss

Actual loss only (most members)

No EU-wide statutory minimum. Most member states award damages based on proven loss or reasonable licence fee equivalent under the EU Enforcement Directive. Individual country rules vary — always verify locally.
SongProof: Creates the independent, dated proof of authorship that supports claims across all 27 EU member states regardless of local damage rules.
IN India
Creator Protection
Prove Actual Loss

Actual loss only

Civil remedies under s.55: injunctions, compensatory damages, account of infringer's profits. No statutory / fixed damages minimum.
SongProof: Creates the independent authorship record that supports civil claims under s.55.
BR Brazil
Creator Protection
Prove Actual Loss

Actual loss only

No statutory / fixed damages minimum. Proof of authorship is the primary enforcement tool.
SongProof: Becomes your primary proof of authorship when no statutory / fixed damages floor exists.
🌎 Latin America
Creator Protection
Prove Actual Loss

Actual loss only (all major markets)

No statutory minimum damages exist across Latin America. Courts assess compensation based on proven harm. The Andean Community framework governs Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile operate under entirely separate national frameworks. Individual rules vary significantly — always verify locally.
SongProof: Creates the independent, dated proof of authorship that supports claims across Latin America's fragmented legal landscape.
NG Nigeria
Creator Protection
Prove Actual Loss

Actual loss only

Copyright Act 2022 provides damages, injunctions, and account of profits — all assessed case by case. No fixed statutory minimum for civil claims. Africa's largest music market.
SongProof: Establishes authorship in Africa's largest music market where damages are case-by-case.

You can secure that proof in seconds.

Important Notice: For informational purposes only. Not legal advice. Always consult a qualified attorney for your specific jurisdiction.

The question then becomes — will that proof actually hold up when it's challenged?

03 — Legal Recognition

That question is already being answered.

Courts are already
accepting this

Legislatures and courts in North America and Europe have formally recognized blockchain-preserved records as admissible evidence.

AZ Factory v. Valeria Moda

Tribunal Judiciaire de Marseille

AZ Factory anchored cryptographic hashes of its original designs onto the Bitcoin blockchain in 2021. When infringement occurred, those timestamps became central evidence. The court accepted the blockchain timestamp reports as valid proof of copyright ownership — ruling that the date recorded on the blockchain was the date that mattered.

CourtTribunal Judiciaire de Marseille DateMarch 20, 2025 CaseRG No. 23/00046 Noted byEUIPO
2016

United States — Vermont

12 V.S.A. §1913 — First state to recognize blockchain records as presumed authentic and self-authenticating under Vermont Rules of Evidence.

2017–2018

United States — Arizona, Ohio, Delaware

Enacted legislation recognizing blockchain records and signatures as valid legal instruments.

2020

United States — Illinois

Blockchain Technology Act explicitly deems records generated via blockchain admissible as evidence in legal proceedings.

MAR 2025

France — Tribunal Judiciaire de Marseille

AZ Factory v. Valeria Moda (RG No. 23/00046) — Court accepted blockchain timestamps as valid proof of copyright ownership. First such decision in French and European law.

Emerging

Latin America

No verified, citable ruling yet specifically validating blockchain timestamps as copyright evidence. Brazilian law allows alternative proof of authorship; several countries are developing digital evidence frameworks.

Traditional formats like email, messaging, or file storage can support evidence — but they rely on context and interpretation. SongProof strengthens this by creating an independent, tamper-resistant timestamp directly linked to the work itself.

The standard is clear. The only question is whether you have that proof when it matters.

04 — The Direction

Just like every shift in how evidence is recorded, this is a matter of time and adoption.

Proof is evolving.
Just like everything else.

Communication has evolved — from formal letters to emails, and now to everyday tools like WhatsApp messages, DMs, Google Drive links, and even DAW file timestamps. At each step, courts have adapted, accepting these formats as evidence once their authenticity and reliability could be established.

That same shift is now happening with blockchain timestamps. Courts aren't being asked to accept something completely new — they're simply applying the same standards they already use: authenticity, integrity, and reliability.

Blockchain meets those standards in a stronger, more verifiable way — by creating a secure, tamper-resistant record of when your work actually existed.

"In matters of intellectual property, being early is far better than being unprepared."

Evidence has always evolved with communication.
This is what's next.

The Paper Era

Notarized copies, registered mail, physical deposits

Courts Accepted

The Digital Era

Email threads, WhatsApp messages, Slack conversations

Courts Accepted

The Blockchain Era

Immutable timestamp. Cryptographic proof. Platform-independent.

Courts Accepting Now Vermont 2016 · Illinois 2020 · France 2025

SongProof doesn't replace what came before — it's what comes next.