How proof works — certificate, blockchain anchor, and DMCA

1. The certificate that ships with each match

A proof-of-use certificate is a one-page PDF that records a single detection. It carries the detection ID, the platform, the source URL of the infringing upload, the match confidence, the timestamp the scanner first saw it, and the SHA-256 chain of audio fingerprints that link each detection to the previous one on the same track. Any alteration of the underlying data invalidates the chain.

If a detection matters to you, download the certificate from the matching Activity row. It is the file you attach to a takedown notice, the file you hand to a platform's trust-and-safety team when you escalate, and the file you keep for your own records. One record, one page, no database login required to read it.

2. The blockchain anchor that proves when we saw it

The blockchain anchor is an optional second layer that records the detection's proof-of-use hash to a public chain at the moment of detection, independent of LicenseTrack's own servers. Once anchored, the receipt can be re-verified at any time by anyone — including people who do not have a LicenseTrack account — by looking up the transaction on the cited explorer.

When you turn anchoring on for your account, every new detection runs through the chain proxy and the receipt (transaction ID, block number, explorer URL) surfaces in the certificate. You decide when to flip it on, and you can leave it off without affecting the certificate or the DMCA workflow. Composite uptime on Stripe Connect for the payouts side is 99.95%+ across the markets we serve; see Pricing for what each plan unlocks.

Anchoring is optional per account, disabled by default so smaller plans are not billed on-chain traffic they did not ask for, and only runs where the chain proxy is configured for your workspace. When it is off, the certificate still records the chain hash — only the on-chain transaction ID is absent, and the receipt stands as a signed in-app record.

3. The DMCA notice that gets filed on your behalf

The DMCA workflow is what actually resolves an infringement. When a detection matters, you open it from Activity, hit “Approve & send,” and LicenseTrack submits the notice through the platform's own takedown webform using the auth cookies you saved on signup. Nothing goes out without your explicit approval first.

The notice is generated from the same detection record the certificate is built on, so the two never disagree: same detection ID, same confidence score, same SHA-256 chain hash. It identifies the original work (title, copyright owner, original upload date, contact email), the infringing upload (platform + URL), and the detection evidence in UTC. It closes with the standard good-faith / penalty-of-perjury declaration, signed electronically with your name and email.

When a takedown is the wrong move — you would rather sell a sync than fight the use — the licence path on the same detection takes you to your payout dashboard, where a ready-to-sign sync contract and a Stripe Connect payout sit one click away.

Read more in the DMCA takedown guide for independent artists →