In May 2020, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the UN agency dedicated to intellectual property, launched WIPO PROOF. The idea sounded great: a service to timestamp any file and later prove it existed on a specific date. A kind of digital notary for creators, companies, and inventors.
It lasted twenty months. WIPO stopped generating tokens on January 31, 2022, and now the final chapter is here. According to the analysis Bernstein published on November 4, 2026, WIPO will keep the verification tools for old tokens available until January 31, 2027.
If you make music, this story matters more than it seems. It clearly shows what digital proof needs to last: it has to be affordable, easy to understand, and not depend on a single gatekeeper.
Why WIPO PROOF didn’t work
Bernstein’s analysis reviews several causes. There are three that any artist understands right away:
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The price. Each token cost 20 Swiss francs, and only dropped to 13 if you bought a pack of 1,000. Paying that for every demo, every version, or every lyric doesn’t fit how creation actually works. According to Bernstein, in its first year it sold just over 3,000 tokens, when forecasts talked about up to 100,000 a year.
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A confusing message. It was sold as an intellectual property tool, and Bernstein points out that this could confuse less experienced creators about what each token actually proved.
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Everything depended on a single centralized service. Bernstein sums it up like this: when proof depends on a centralized institutional service, it’s exposed to policy, budget, or leadership changes. Also, WIPO never stored the files—only the token. If the original file was lost or changed, the proof broke.
The underlying idea was good. Having a reliable date for your work is still very valuable. What failed was the execution.
What makes digital proof strong
Good digital proof answers one very specific question: this exact file existed on this date and hasn’t changed since. For that answer to stand the test of time, you need three things: a way to identify the file with zero doubt, a date nobody can alter later, and a place where the work stays available no matter what happens to whoever stores it.
And if a conflict ever comes up, that proof adds to your demos, your projects, and your dated messages. We explain it step by step in our guide on what to do if someone copied your song.
How Shamusic builds proof for your song
At Shamusic, we’ve built the proof on open technology that anyone can verify. Here’s how it works:
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The hash, your file’s unique digital fingerprint. When you upload a demo, a beat, lyrics, or the final version, we calculate a unique code from the file. That code is its hash. If the file changes—even one second of audio—the hash changes. That’s how you can verify the file is exactly the one you registered.
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An immutable blockchain record, with date and time. That fingerprint is recorded on a blockchain, a public ledger that nobody can rewrite later—not even us. That locks in the exact moment of registration.
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Decentralized storage on IPFS. Your work is stored on IPFS, a decentralized storage system. The file doesn’t depend on a single server and can’t be altered without it being obvious.
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Your certificate, with a verification link. You receive an authorship certificate with the date and time, the file’s digital fingerprint, the authors with their percentages, and a link so anyone can verify it.
All of that happens in minutes. It’s the exact opposite of depending on a single gatekeeper: your proof is built on open, verifiable technology, and your work is stored right alongside it.
Pricing designed to register every idea
When registration costs 20 francs, you end up registering only the song you think is the one. But songs are born in voice notes, demos, and versions that keep changing—and each one has its own date.
That’s why at Shamusic you start with 3 works free when you create your profile. If you register often, the Pro plan costs €9.99/month plus VAT and includes unlimited registrations. And if you keep your demos in Google Drive, you can connect your folder to Shamusic so every new song arrives ready to review and register.
The agreement with SGAE
On October 30, 2025, SGAE and Shamusic signed a collaboration agreement to help new musical talent receive the royalties their works generate and grow professionally.
Thanks to that agreement, Shamusic users can sign up as SGAE members, register their compositions there, and collect the royalties their music generates live, on platforms, on the radio, or on TV, among other uses. Members also get access to the training and professional promotion the organization offers. They’re two complementary pieces: Shamusic records your work with its date, and SGAE manages and distributes the financial rights.
Why this matters now
The industry is increasingly debating who did what and when. Universal and Sony have asked a New York court to force DistroKid to hand over data on how many of the tracks it distributes have been flagged as AI-generated and how many are attributed to Suno, to use in their lawsuit against Suno. According to Music Business Worldwide, the parties have told the court they’re working to resolve the dispute.
At the same time, the tech sector is pushing open standards to document content origins. C2PA, which defines Content Credentials, updated its compliance program this summer, and the Content Authenticity Initiative published a step-by-step guide on November 3 so products that sign or validate those credentials meet the standard.
The direction is clear: what can be verified carries more weight. And the smart move is to have your dates ready from the very first demo, not when the problem shows up.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to the WIPO PROOF tokens I already have?
According to Bernstein, WIPO will keep the verification tools available until January 31, 2027. Since the service used an open standard (RFC 3161), the tokens can still be verified offline with standard tools. The most important thing is that you keep each original file together with its token, because without the file there’s nothing to compare.
What exactly is a hash?
It’s a file’s unique digital fingerprint: a code calculated from its contents. Two different files produce different fingerprints, and any change to the file changes its fingerprint. That’s why it’s useful to prove a file hasn’t been tampered with.
Can I register demos and unfinished versions?
Yes. You can register a voice note, a demo, a beat, lyrics, or the final version. Each registration has its own date and time, so ideally you register each version as soon as it exists.
Does Shamusic replace SGAE?
No. They’re complementary services. Shamusic certifies your work with its registration date, and SGAE manages and distributes the financial rights it generates.
Register your first song today
WIPO PROOF leaves us with a simple lesson: proof is only as good as your ability to verify it—today and many years from now. With Shamusic, every work has its digital fingerprint, its blockchain timestamp, and its copy on IPFS, and you start with 3 works free.
Create your profile and register your music at open.shamusic.es
Share your music—protect it first.
