But this method might be too complicated for most users.
The benefit of Bitstamped is the simplicity of uploading the file and getting a QR code to insert in a document so anyone reading it can scan it to satisfy themselves of the date it was created.
The file that gets Bitstamped could be anything - for example I could doodle my new algorithm on a napkin along with the words "designed by Me" and get it Bitstamped before I finish lunch, later, I add the QR code to my business plan (for example) to link the ideas therein with the napkin photo.
I think you're right about the costs - Bitstamped is definitely better suited to use with a printed document, possibly just for a short period of time until formal legal protection can be secured, or even just for the purpose of quickly assuaging anxiety about an idea being copied..
Of course you could put a load of photos into one ZIP file and upload that, but that's not the intended use of the service.
I found your project when I was researching to see if anything like Bitstamped.io already existed.
One of the key differences with Bitstamped is that the publicly verifiable time-stamp (the QR code link) is circulated with the printed document.
So as well as the proof, it might also be a deterrent against plagiarism.
I bet a lot of start-up founders go through that anxious "what if someone steals my idea" phase whilst they're pitching it around.. Having some part of the business plan (doesn't have to be all of it) Bitstamped might just help alleviate some of that anxiety. Maybe.
I'm pretty sure any industry that handles documents etc. that would require a non-forgeable timestamp would not want (or are allowed due to regulation) to upload a billion dollar contract, legal document or patent to a website. No offence.
They would want an in-house, closed system with (of course) blockchain communication for the verification part. Or maybe a tool that creates a "Magic" executable that contains the a) file and b) a "Check" button to do the blockchain verification.
"I've heard good things about the team at X.", if you've actually heard good things about them. "Those guys at X claim they can do Y.", if you have the folks at X on record actually claiming Y. Otherwise, you're just repeating something you heard, or wish you had heard.
Press F11 to experience the 80's.