Why I Stopped Waiting for a Patent and Built My Own Proof System

Miroslav Curcic — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:19:46 +0000

I spent 6 years writing a book. Original concepts, original frameworks, years of research. And one day I realized — I had zero proof any of it was mine.

I looked into patents. $20,000 minimum, 18 months to process. Lawyers? $500/hour just to start the conversation. For an independent creator, that's not protection — that's a barrier.

So I asked a different question: what if I just need proof of when, not a legal monopoly?

Turns out, that's exactly what most creators need. Not a patent. Not a trademark. Just undeniable, permanent evidence that they had the idea first.

What I Built
iCalledIt.io — you describe your idea or upload a file, and it gets a cryptographic fingerprint permanently recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain. You get a PDF certificate with the proof. Takes under 2 minutes.

Why Bitcoin?
Because no single company controls it. Your proof is replicated across 20,000+ nodes in 150+ countries. Even if my company disappears tomorrow, the proof stays. That's the whole point — it shouldn't depend on me.

Who It's For
Founders about to pitch to investors
Freelancers sharing work with clients before contracts are signed
Writers, musicians, designers with unpublished work
Anyone who's ever said "I had that idea first" and had nothing to back it up
What I Learned Building This

Most people don't need patents. They need a timestamp. A date. Proof that this existed before that meeting, before that pitch, before that conversation.
Speed matters more than perfection. My first version did one thing: protect an idea. No fancy features. That constraint forced clarity.
Trust is earned through transparency. I wrote a public Q&A explaining exactly what we store, what we don't, and what happens if we screw up. Users don't need promises — they need accountability.

Try It
If you have something worth proving: icalledit.io

Coupon WELCOME gives you a free first registration.

Built by Miroslav Curcic — Agile Playground LLC, Delaware.

DEV Community: Miroslav Curcic

Why I Stopped Waiting for a Patent and Built My Own Proof System