A Public-Draft Framework for Verifiable Evidence Linked to Creative Works
Universal Creation Evidence (UCE) is an implementation-independent technical framework.
Copyright by UCE (CbyUCE) is the separate live operational implementation and current reference architecture.
UCE defines a way to create durable, portable, tamper-evident records linked to creative works. Those records support cryptographic checks of file and manifest integrity, chronology references, and the assertions placed on record. Creator, claimant, authorship, ownership, creation-date, and rights statements remain recorded assertions unless separately attested.
Independent framework notice. Universal Creation Evidence is not affiliated with or endorsed by WIPO or any national copyright office. UCE evidence is not government copyright registration and does not replace national registration, legal advice, or adjudication. Find your national or regional IP office through WIPO's official directory.
Cryptographic checks can be reproduced across systems and borders. Legal treatment and evidentiary weight vary by jurisdiction and context.
Use CbyUCE to put your exact file, claim details, and proof of upload date on record through a live private service.
UCE uses durable storage references and public verification data to reduce dependence on a single hosted interface, without guaranteeing permanent availability.
CbyUCE currently offers a $2 one-time record for eligible files up to 20 MB. Pricing and platform terms are set by CbyUCE.
Understanding the foundation of creative protection
Copyright is a type of intellectual property that protects original works of authorship as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression. In copyright law, there are a lot of different types of works, including paintings, photographs, illustrations, musical compositions, sound recordings, computer programs, books, poems, blog posts, movies, architectural works, plays, and so much more!
Works are original when they are independently created by a human author and have a minimal degree of creativity. Independent creation simply means that you create it yourself, without copying. The Supreme Court has said that, to be creative, a work must have a "spark" and "modicum" of creativity. There are some things, however, that are not creative, like: titles, names, short phrases, and slogans; familiar symbols or designs; mere variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering, or coloring; and mere listings of ingredients or contents. And always keep in mind that copyright protects expression, and never ideas, procedures, methods, systems, processes, concepts, principles, or discoveries.
A work is fixed when it is captured (either by or under the authority of an author) in a sufficiently permanent medium such that the work can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated for more than a short time. For example, a work is fixed when you write it down or record it.
Under U.S. law, copyright generally arises when a qualifying original work is created and fixed, although ownership, eligibility, formalities, and remedies depend on applicable law and facts. Rules vary by jurisdiction.
Companies, organizations, and other people besides the work's creator can also be copyright owners. Copyright law allows ownership through "works made for hire," which establishes that works created by an employee within the scope of employment are owned by the employer. The work made for hire doctrine also applies to certain independent contractor relationships, for certain types of commissioned works.
Copyright ownership can also come from contracts like assignments or from other types of transfers like wills and bequests.
U.S. source: U.S. Copyright Office. For other jurisdictions, consult the official WIPO directory of national and regional IP offices.
Copyright and evidence are distinct; both may matter when facts are disputed
Copyright may arise automatically under applicable law, but later questions about timing, file integrity, attribution, or competing claims often depend on evidence.
UCE addresses that evidence layer with portable records built for cross-border technical verification. It does not make those records legally equivalent in every jurisdiction.
UCE complements rather than replaces national registration, legal advice, factual investigation, or adjudication. A decision-maker determines what the evidence means in context.
A Symbol System for Evidence
A Symbol for Verifiable Creative Evidence
The UCE Mark signals that a corresponding verifiable evidence record exists
Just as familiar symbols communicate specific meanings in legal and commercial contexts, the UCE mark serves as a rules-based identifier. The mark signals that a corresponding verifiable evidence record exists.
The UCE mark is not decorative branding. It represents evidence. When properly used, it communicates that a corresponding technical evidence record exists and can be checked through the identified implementation's published verification route.
The mark is a rules-governed identifier proposed by the UCE public-draft framework. It may be displayed by creators, agencies, and platforms when a corresponding verifiable evidence record supports its use; it is not a government or standards-body certification.
The mark is designed to reference or resolve to a verifiable evidence record.
The mark represents evidence, not branding
The UCE mark signifies that a work is associated with a verifiable evidence record. It is not ornamentation—it represents evidence.
The UCE mark must only be used when a verifiable evidence record exists. Proper use means the marked work corresponds to a valid UCE record.
Third parties may display the UCE mark on a work that has a CbyUCE evidence record. Additional implementations may become eligible after UCE publishes and validates objective conformance materials.
Misleading use undermines trust and is improper. The UCE mark-usage rules require a corresponding verifiable evidence record and do not authorize claims of official registration or legal ownership.
During the public-draft period, the UCE mark may be used for a work only when a corresponding CbyUCE evidence record exists. This interim eligibility rule will expand only after objective conformance materials for other implementations are published and validated.
The mark does not indicate government registration, legal ownership, WIPO review, or standards-body certification. Suspected misuse may be reported under the case-handling procedure.
The UCE mark is applied wherever evidence-backed works are presented
Embed the mark directly in images or as a caption to signal evidence exists for visual works.
Display on release pages, streaming profiles, and album art to indicate recorded evidence.
Include on title pages and PDF headers to establish evidentiary documentation.
Add to creator profiles, portfolio sites, and metadata blocks to signal that a corresponding evidence record exists.
Public-draft rule: use only for a work with a corresponding CbyUCE evidence record.
Use templates for correct placement. Use raw files only if needed.
Create, Record, and Display verifiable evidence
Create an original work. Your rights begin at the moment of creation and fixation.
Record it through a UCE evidence process, creating a tamper-evident record that links the exact file, chronology data, and the claim details adopted at submission.
Display the UCE mark to signal that verifiable evidence exists for your work.
The current CbyUCE implementation can record a machine-readable AI-training opt-out declaration in the evidence manifest. That declaration documents the claimant's stated preference; it does not technically prevent scraping, create rights that do not otherwise exist, or guarantee compliance by an AI system.
Licensing decisions remain with the relevant rights holder and are governed by applicable law and agreements. UCE preserves what was declared at the time of recording.
UCE Evidentiary Standards & Verification Framework
An implementation-independent specification for verifiable creative evidence
Universal Creation Evidence is published for public review as an implementation-independent evidentiary framework. It defines data structures, cryptographic procedures, signing rules, and verification requirements intended to let implementations produce and validate UCE evidence records independently of a single hosted interface. The specification and related framework documentation are available under CC BY 4.0; UCE name, symbol, trademark, mark-usage, software, and third-party rights remain separate.
UCE is the framework. Copyright by UCE (CbyUCE) is one operational implementation of that framework, used as the reference architecture in v1.0.
Use the CbyUCE reference implementation to create verifiable evidence linking your exact file, the claim details you adopt, and proof of upload date.
