Electronic timestamping as a means of proof is recognised and accepted in court in all countries of the European Union and other countries around the world. But be careful! Since 2014, not all types of timestamps have the same force.
Only qualified electronic timestamps, as they are called, have a superior legal force recognised under French and European law since September 17, 2014, when the European “eIDAS” Regulation came into force. No other timestamp benefits from this presumption of technical reliability!
To be “qualified”, the “stamped” date must be received from a timestamping authority registered on a list managed by the European Union. There is only a handful of them in the world, and Copyright.eu uses exclusively one of them, the French company Universign.
Each certificate issued by Copyright.eu thus receives a qualified electronic timestamp.
It is compulsorily recognised in all legal and judicial systems of the European Union (“eIDAS” Regulation n°910/2014 of 23 July 2014). In practice, many other countries also recognise it, as it is the highest level of timestamping available in the world today.
How about other repositories, such as the e-Soleau envelope? #
Various online registration systems can be used to provide proof of your creations, the evidential value of which varies from one provider to another. E-Soleau does not currently provide a qualified electronic timestamp on the filing receipt that is issued. This document, therefore, does not benefit from a “presumption of accuracy for the date and time it indicates and of integrity for the data to which that date and time relate” in all countries of the European Union, as is the case for each Copyright.eu filing. (cf. art 41 of Regulation (EU) N°910/2014 of 23 July 2014)
The limitation to the national territory of the Soleau envelope is often recalled by several lawyers. Where qualified electronic timestamping is at least compulsorily recognised in all legal systems of EU countries, other types of evidence will therefore have to be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the judges of the countries concerned.
Why choose Copyright.eu? #
Do you wish to prove the anteriority of your creations in France but also internationally? Copyright.eu offers a high-end service at a pragmatic and affordable price. With the high evidential value that our legal experts impose to secure your creations (Certificate with qualified electronic timestamping + Bailiff’s report), the Copyright.eu services are essential if you are looking for broad and effective protection.
