❓ Frequently Asked Questions

SBIX Certify provides proof of existence. Specifically, we prove:

This distinction is crucial. Our certificates are evidence of existence, not declarations of rights.

Our certificates are designed to be admissible as supporting evidence in legal proceedings. However, the final evidentiary weight is always at the discretion of the court.

Key factors that support legal validity:

• ✅ RFC-3161 Timestamp — International standard recognized by ETSI, ISO, and courts worldwide
• ✅ eIDAS Qualified Timestamp (Pro+ plan) — Legal presumption of accuracy under EU law
• ✅ PAdES Digital Signature — Document authenticity verifiable in any PDF reader
• ✅ Blockchain Anchoring — Immutable, publicly verifiable proof
• ✅ Independent Verification — Any party can verify without our involvement

We recommend consulting with legal counsel for jurisdiction-specific advice.

eIDAS (EU Regulation 910/2014) is the European legal framework for electronic identification and trust services.

Our Pro+ Legal plan includes eIDAS Qualified Timestamps from a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) on the EU Trusted List.

This means:

• 🏛️ Legal presumption — Courts must accept the timestamp as accurate unless proven otherwise
• 🌍 Cross-border recognition — Valid in all 27 EU member states automatically
• 📜 Non-repudiation — Cannot be denied by the signing party

Yes, our certificates can serve as supporting evidence in common law jurisdictions:

⚠️ Admissibility depends on the specific court, jurisdiction, and circumstances. Consult local legal counsel for specific cases.

PAdES (PDF Advanced Electronic Signature) is a standard for digitally signing PDF documents (ETSI EN 319 142-1).

Every SBIX Certify certificate is digitally signed, which guarantees:

• ✅ Authenticity — The certificate was issued by SBIX Certify™ / GLABTECH SARL
• ✅ Integrity — The PDF has not been modified since signing
• ✅ Verifiable — Open the PDF in Adobe Reader, Foxit, or any PDF viewer and check the signature panel

If someone modifies the PDF after signing, the signature will show as invalid.

Yes. SBIX Certify is commonly used for IP protection:

• 💡 Prior Art — Prove your invention existed before a competitor's patent filing
• 🎨 Creative Works — Establish creation date for copyright disputes
• 📝 Trade Secrets — Document existence without revealing contents (we only store the hash)
• 🔬 Research Data — Prove research results existed at a specific time
• 💻 Source Code — Timestamp software versions for licensing disputes

Important: A certificate proves existence at a point in time, not ownership. You may need additional documentation to establish authorship or ownership.

SBIX Certify follows internationally recognized standards:

These standards are recognized by courts, auditors, and compliance officers worldwide.

GLABTECH SARL is the company behind SBIX Certify:

• 📍 Location: St-Barthélemy, FR (EU jurisdiction)
• 🌐 Infrastructure: EU-based, ASN 30077
• 🔒 Trust model: You don't have to trust us — everything is independently verifiable

Why trust doesn't matter:

• ✅ Blockchain anchors are public and immutable — verify on tzkt.io or Aleph Explorer
• ✅ TSA timestamps are RFC-3161 compliant — verify with standard tools
• ✅ PDF signatures are PAdES standard — verify in any PDF reader
• ✅ All hashes are SHA-256 — recalculate yourself

Even if SBIX disappears tomorrow, your certificates remain verifiable forever on the blockchain.

SBIX Certify is a document certification platform that creates immutable, blockchain-anchored proofs of existence for any file. Think of it as a digital notary that proves your document existed at a specific point in time, without storing your actual files.

You can certify any file type: PDFs, images, videos, code, contracts, designs, research data, creative works, etc. Maximum file size is 50MB.

Common use cases include:

• 📜 Contracts and legal documents
• 🎨 Creative works and intellectual property
• 📊 Financial reports and audits
• 🔬 Research data and publications
• 💻 Source code and software releases
• 📷 Photos and media (proof of creation date)

The certificate is generated instantly (under 30 seconds). You'll receive your PDF certificate immediately.

Blockchain anchoring typically completes within:

• ⚡ Aleph Cloud: A few seconds
• 🔷 Tezos: 1-5 minutes (depends on network)

The success page auto-updates when anchoring is complete.

Forever. Once anchored on the blockchain, your certificate is permanent and immutable. As long as the Tezos and Aleph networks exist, your proof will be verifiable.

Blockchains are designed to be permanent, decentralized records that cannot be altered or deleted.

No. Your file is never stored. We only compute and store the cryptographic hash (a 64-character string). The original file is processed in memory and discarded immediately after hashing.

This means:

• ✅ Your data remains 100% private
• ✅ We cannot see your file contents
• ✅ No one can retrieve your original file from us

No. We only process a cryptographic hash of your file. A hash is a one-way mathematical function — it's impossible to reverse a hash back into the original file.

Think of it like a fingerprint: you can identify someone by their fingerprint, but you cannot reconstruct their entire body from it.

Yes, safely. Since we only store the hash (not the file), your document's contents remain completely private. The hash cannot be reversed to reveal your document.

Perfect for:

• 🔒 NDAs and confidential agreements
• 💼 Trade secrets
• 📋 Internal reports
• 🏥 Medical or legal documents

Even the smallest modification (a single bit, a space, a pixel) will produce a completely different hash. The certificate only proves the exact version that was certified.

This is by design — it ensures that any tampering is instantly detectable. If you modify your file, you'll need to create a new certificate.

Blockchain provides immutable, decentralized proof that your certificate existed at a specific time. Unlike traditional databases:

• ✅ No single entity controls the data
• ✅ Records cannot be altered or deleted
• ✅ Anyone can independently verify
• ✅ Survives even if SBIX disappears

We use dual blockchain anchoring for maximum reliability:

🔷 Tezos:

• Energy-efficient proof-of-stake blockchain
• Established, secure network since 2018
• Low transaction fees

🟣 Aleph Cloud:

• Decentralized storage and compute network
• Cross-chain compatibility
• Fast confirmation times

If one network experiences issues, your proof remains verifiable on the other.

Yes! You can verify blockchain anchors without trusting SBIX:

• Tezos: tzkt.io — Search the transaction hash
• Aleph Cloud: explorer.aleph.im — Search the message hash

Your certificate PDF contains all the information needed for independent verification.

Yes! The free plan includes:

• ✅ 5 certificates per month
• ✅ All cryptographic features (SHA-256, Merkle, Ed25519)
• ✅ TSA timestamp (RFC-3161)
• ✅ Dual blockchain anchoring
• ✅ PDF certificate with PAdES signature
• ✅ Public verification

The free plan has the exact same security features as Pro — just a monthly limit.

Pro plan ($29/month) includes:

• ✅ Unlimited certificates
• ✅ All Free features
• ✅ Evidence Pack (ZIP with all proofs)
• ✅ API access
• ✅ Priority support

View full pricing details →

Pro+ Legal plan ($49/month) includes everything in Pro, plus:

• 🇪🇺 eIDAS Qualified Timestamps — Legal presumption of accuracy in EU
• ⚖️ Court-admissible in 27 EU countries
• 📦 Legal Evidence Pack with eIDAS TSR token
• 🔍 QR code to TSR on certificate
• 📞 Priority legal support

Recommended for lawyers, IP professionals, and compliance officers.

View full pricing details →

Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any time. You'll retain access until the end of your billing period. No questions asked, no cancellation fees.

SHA-256 is a cryptographic hash function that produces a unique 256-bit (64 character) fingerprint of any data. It's used worldwide for:

• Bitcoin and cryptocurrency
• SSL/TLS certificates
• Digital signatures
• Password storage

Key properties:

• 🔒 One-way: Cannot reverse a hash to get the original data
• 🎯 Deterministic: Same input always produces same hash
• ❄️ Avalanche effect: Tiny change = completely different hash
• 🛡️ Collision resistant: Virtually impossible to find two inputs with same hash

A Merkle tree is a hierarchical structure of hashes that allows efficient verification of large datasets. Invented by Ralph Merkle in 1979, it's used by:

• ⛓️ Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most blockchains
• 📁 Git version control
• 🔐 Certificate transparency logs

We use Merkle trees to batch multiple certifications efficiently while maintaining individual verifiability.

RFC-3161 is the international standard for trusted timestamping, published by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force).

A RFC-3161 timestamp:

• ✅ Is issued by a Timestamp Authority (TSA)
• ✅ Proves data existed before a specific time
• ✅ Is cryptographically signed
• ✅ Can be verified with standard tools

This standard is recognized by ETSI, ISO, and courts worldwide.

There are multiple ways to verify:

1. Online verification:

• Scan the QR code on the certificate
• Or visit sbix.io/verify and enter the Proof ID

2. PDF signature:

• Open the PDF in Adobe Reader or Foxit
• Check the signature panel — it should show "Signature is valid"

3. Blockchain verification:

• Copy the Tezos transaction hash and search on tzkt.io
• Copy the Aleph hash and search on explorer.aleph.im

4. Hash verification:

• Recalculate the SHA-256 hash of your original file
• Compare with the hash on the certificate — they must match exactly