Frequently Asked Questions

No. ScriptShield is an evidence documentation platform, not a law firm. We provide tools that create timestamped records of your work’s existence and track who has accessed it. These records can be valuable evidence in authorship disputes, but they are not a substitute for legal advice. If you need legal counsel, please consult a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction.

Yes, always. Copyright is automatic the moment you create an original work and fix it in a tangible form. ScriptShield does not claim any ownership of your work. We simply provide documented evidence of when your work existed, which can strengthen your position if authorship is ever questioned.

Hash-only mode computes a unique mathematical fingerprint (SHA-256 hash) of your manuscript entirely within your browser. Your file never leaves your device — only the hash is sent to ScriptShield. This hash is a one-way function: it is mathematically impossible to reconstruct your manuscript from it. This gives you a verified timestamp of your work’s existence with maximum privacy.

Your authorship certificates are downloadable PDF documents that you keep forever — they do not depend on ScriptShield remaining operational. Once blockchain timestamps are anchored, those records exist permanently on the public blockchain and can be verified by anyone, anywhere, regardless of whether ScriptShield exists.

No. ScriptShield does not compare your work against other works or detect plagiarism. What we do is document your creation timeline — proving when your work existed and who had access to it. If someone copies your work, your ScriptShield certificate and distribution log provide the evidence trail showing you created it first and who received it.

ScriptShield supports PDF, DOCX, TXT, FDX (Final Draft), and Fountain file formats. This covers the vast majority of screenwriting, novel writing, songwriting, and general creative writing workflows. The maximum file size is 50 MB.

Yes. All uploaded manuscripts are encrypted at rest on secure servers. Your files are never shared with third parties. Only you (and recipients you explicitly share with via distribution links) can access your work. In hash-only mode, your file never even reaches our servers.

SHA-256 is a cryptographic hash function that produces a unique 64-character fingerprint for any piece of data. Even a single character change in your manuscript produces a completely different hash. This means the hash proves the exact content existed at the time it was registered. It is a one-way function — no one can reconstruct your manuscript from the hash.