Publishers are suing tech companies over AI training on copyrighted work. These lawsuits highlight a gap that's becoming critical for every creator: proving not just who made something, but when they made it. Two standards are emerging to solve this problem. Content Credentials (C2PA) and blockchain timestamping. Most creators think it's one or the other. It's not. You need both. What C2PA Content Credentials Actually Do Content Credentials is an open standard backed by Adobe, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI. It embeds a cryptographically signed record directly into your files. The credential documents who created the file, what device captured it, and every edit made afterward. Samsung Galaxy S25 phones sign photos automatically at the camera level. Adobe Creative Suite adds credentials to exports. Google Pixel 10 cameras embed them natively. Think of it as a digital birth certificate that travels with your file. The signature proves authenticity.…