Hi everyone. In my welcome thread, I mentioned I completed my first screenplay (though I am wondering how good it is). The past few days I have been trying to decide how I should register it, to protect it from plagerism. I have been looking at the WGA site as well as U.S. copyright and a site called Protect Rite. My understanding is producers/agents don't like to recieve copyrighted scripts. I don't see why not? Unless they view it as a newbie scared someone will steal their work. But it seems copyright is the most reliable proof of ownership of the work.

So, what do you, the writers and members here use when trying to protect your work? What are the advantages of registering with the Writers Guild over Protect Rite or U.S. Copyright? Any information would be appreciated.

Here's an article that should help...

http://www.sellingyourscreenpl.....nd-wga-registration/

Regards,
E.D.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer Here's an article that should help... http://www.sellingyourscreenpl.....nd-wga-registration/ Regards, E.D.

Thanks for that article. From other articles I read, it seems like registering the completed work for a few years may be the way to go, and copyrighting the final draft (your completed draft) with the Library of Congress. I'll have to give this some more thought.

I'd go with WGA. Then if your script has some legs (contest placements, request for reads, etc) I'd add Library of Congress.

There's only one thing I want to guard and protect and what it is it is not mine to begin with.

If I work and it's accepted, there's no need to protect it and why would I want to? Then should I stray, I hope I lose myself again until I wake up to The Perfection.



Sandra

I have always been very generous with my shorts. I let people use them for free and I currently have 20+ shorts produced by producer/directors ranging from student productions to "big budget". I always wanted to be generous and help anyone along with their work whenever possible. However, something happened recently that has changed my attitude. A producer/director made a short of mine. Everything was fine and the film looked great. Then it turns out they wanted to base a feature on my original short. I didn't have the short registered, nor did we have a contract, since it was just a short... Well, they assumed they could do whatever they wanted with my original story and characters and it turned into a dispute. Now my agent tells me I need to set $500 aside for a possible cease and desist thing!!!!! In other words, this "generous" act of mine might actually turn into costing me money. I will never again just give stuff away, nor will I post a script online without having registered it with the WGA first.

There's also some possible huge things going on with my found footage feature and my agent again flipped out that I had not bothered to get a contract and a copyright done yet. Careless days are over for me. My suggestion is, registered your shorts if you plan to post them online. Register and copyright if it is a feature...it might save you money and headaches later on.

A recent bout with this myself and I agree with registering anything you post anywhere online...even on your own website. However, if someone takes a story and changed the characters names and the story a bit, then can they just also call themselves the 'writer'??

They can call themselves writer, but you need to be credited too since it is still based on your original story and characters. In my case they thought they could get away with it by changing the names of the characters. I went over their script and the first 17 pages were almost my pages word for word.  

Wow....sucks. Live and learn I guess....

Why register it with the WGA, only to register it with the LOC later?  It's a waste of money.


Phil

How much does it cost to register with the WGA, anyway? And does it apply to all countries?

Angry Bear's story has scared the crap out of me, now

I read somewhere online that the WGA copyright is useless. Not sure how true that was but it scared me enough to register my feature with the LOC instead.

Although Pia's story is really does suck, I doubt that anyone in history has had their feature stolen and produced without any significant changes made. No one can be that much of a douche, can they?

From my understanding, producers etc. already expect that you've copyrighted your script, so when you write it on the title page then it comes across as amateur. Registering is fine, just keep the paperwork, but don't add the details to the script.