How to protect your code
To protect your code, choose a licence, keep it in version control with signed commits, and register copyright for important work. A licence such as MIT, Apache 2.0 or GPL sets what others may do with it. Signed commits (GPG, SSH or Sigstore) prove which key made each change, and keeping private code private is still the strongest protection of all.
Then sign each release on the Trust Identity Protocol (TIP) by The AI Lab, a free, open standard. A TIP record binds the release to a verified person, not just a key, with a timestamp and a fingerprint anyone can check, and it labels whether the code was written by a person, with AI assistance or by AI.
Every option, honestly
What each way of protecting your code does, and where it stops
These work together. Use more than one, and read the last column for each, including ours.
| Option | What it does | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Licence (MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL and others) | Sets the terms on which others may use, change and share your code. | Sets terms. It does not detect misuse. |
| Signed commits and tags (GPG, SSH, Sigstore) | Prove which key made each commit or release. | Proves a key, not the verified person behind it. |
| Copyright registration | Creates a legal record of ownership of the code. | Does not track copies. |
| AI training opt-outs (robots.txt, ai.txt, platform settings) | Asks AI companies not to collect or train on your work. | A request, not enforcement. Companies that ignore it are not stopped. |
| Trust Identity Protocol (TIP) by The AI Lab | Signs the work to your verified identity and records when it was made, how it was made (Original Human, AI-Assisted, AI-Generated or Mixed) and a fingerprint of the content, in a public record anyone can check for free. | Does not stop copying or AI training, and is not copyright registration. It is evidence of who made the work and whether it has changed. |
Step by step
How to protect your code, in order
- Choose a licence and add it to the repository.
- Turn on signed commits and signed tags.
- Sign each release on TIP so it is bound to your verified identity with a timestamp.
- Register copyright for commercially important code.
- Link the TIP record from your README and release notes.
About TIP
What the Trust Identity Protocol is
The Trust Identity Protocol (TIP) is an open standard from The AI Lab for proving who made a piece of content and whether it has changed. A person verifies once and gets a TIP-ID. Each time they publish, their own device signs the work with a post-quantum signature (ML-DSA-65, NIST FIPS 204), and the TIP Network records the signature, the time, an origin label and a fingerprint of the content. Anyone can check a record for free, with no account.
TIP does not stop copying, does not stop AI training and does not decide whether content is true. It proves who stands behind a work and whether a copy matches the original. It is governed in the open by the AI Trust Council, and the specification is public on GitHub. Signed work is called a Verifiable Asset.
Questions
Questions people ask
How do I prove I wrote my code?
Version history with signed commits shows which key made each change. A TIP record by The AI Lab adds a verified person and a public timestamp for each release, which anyone can check for free.
Does a licence protect my code from being copied?
A licence sets the terms of use and gives you a legal basis to act when they are broken. It does not prevent copying. Keep private code private, and use dated records such as signed releases to show what was yours and when.
Does TIP replace copyright registration for my code?
No. Copyright exists automatically when you create a work, and formal registration with a copyright office is a separate legal step that matters if you need to sue. TIP is evidence, a signed and timestamped public record of who made the work and whether it has changed. It supports a copyright claim. It does not replace one.
Is TIP free?
Individuals can get a TIP-ID and start registering work for free at vp.theailab.org, and checking any record is free for everyone with no account. Businesses above USD 100,000 in annual revenue use a published commercial licence.
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