In contrast to a patent application, a defensive publication is a strategic disclosure of an innovation to the public domain. By publishing the details of your idea, you prevent others from patenting the same invention. This means your disclosure becomes prior art, which can be cited by patent offices worldwide to reject later-filed patent applications on the same or similar subject matter.

Technically, yes – but legally it’s complex. For a disclosure to be considered valid, it must meet strict requirements: (1) permanent discoverability via search engines (SEO), (2) a certified timestamp with Long-Term Validation (LTV), and (3) verifiable proof that it has remained accessible since publication. Without a robust process to meet and prove these conditions, your disclosure might not hold up in court. That’s why using a specialized platform like Proofbox is strongly recommended.

Yes – but only if it meets specific legal standards. These include: (1) permanent discoverability through search engines (SEO), (2) a certified timestamp with Long-Term Validation (LTV) issued by an accredited provider, and (3) continuous proof that the publication has remained accessible since its release. These are the minimum requirements for an online disclosure to be legally valid and to qualify as prior art from the date of publication.

No, online disclosure is not a substitute for patent protection. It does not grant you exclusive rights like a patent would. However, publishing on Proofbox prevents others from patenting your idea, as it becomes part of the prior art. In terms of Freedom to Operate (FTO), the effect is similar to filing a patent: others cannot claim rights to your disclosed invention. You won’t be able to sue for infringement, but you can effectively block others from obtaining a patent. With Proofbox, you receive a certified, legally robust record proving that the idea originated from you at the time of publication — often with stronger evidentiary weight than a pending patent.

Each disclosure published on Proofbox remains publicly accessible, searchable, and downloadable in the archive for three years from the date of upload. Before the three-year period ends, you’ll receive an email notification informing you of the upcoming removal. You will then have the opportunity to download the digitally signed document, ensuring that you retain certified proof of the publication date even after it is no longer listed in the archive.

Every disclosure on Proofbox receives a certified timestamp with Long-Term Validation (LTV) from an accredited trust service provider. In addition, each publication is continuously indexed for search engine discoverability and remains publicly available for three years. These measures ensure that your disclosure meets legal standards for validity as prior art.

Unlike standard websites or public repositories, Proofbox is specifically designed to meet all legal requirements for a valid defensive publication. In addition to providing a certified timestamp with Long-Term Validation (LTV) and ensuring public availability, Proofbox continuously verifies and documents the discoverability of your disclosure over time. This recurring verification is essential in legal proceedings and represents a unique feature of our platform — ensuring that your idea can be proven to have been publicly accessible from the exact date of publication, without interruption.

This means that defensive publications on Proofbox are made available exclusively as internet disclosures and thus become part of the state of the art. Proofbox and its archive are not connected to any external databases such as WIPO or public libraries where disclosures are made fully accessible. Our technology ensures that every disclosure in our archive is legally recognized worldwide as prior art—without requiring any external linkage.

Proofbox accepts all common payment methods, such as credit cards and PayPal. However, it is not possible to purchase the upload of a disclosure or the download of a publication by invoice. After purchasing an upload or download using the available payment methods, an invoice can be generated and downloaded from your user dashboard for each transaction.

Yes, you can delete your account at any time. After deletion, your published disclosures will remain publicly available in the archive until their scheduled expiration date. However, you will no longer have access to your dashboard, which means you will lose access to both your own disclosures and any third-party publications you previously purchased. Deleted accounts cannot be restored, so any purchased content will be lost unless you have saved it offline beforehand.

Yes, transferring your account to another person is possible. You can update your billing information, saved payment methods, and account settings directly in your dashboard. You can also change the email address used for login. This allows you to transfer your account manually. Proofbox does not offer a separate service to handle account transfers.

No, your disclosures cannot be transferred to another account. However, you may transfer the entire account to another person, or create an additional account using a different email address. Please note that only one account can be created per email address.