SHOULD I COPYRIGHT MY SCRIPT?

A Brief Tutorial

It’s Sunday morning here Film Freak’s; been raining for the past three fuck’n days; freezing ass cold at night. It’s supposed to be Spring; maybe all that cold came down from all those damn melting Glaciers and shit; I don’t know. Man, after the Millennium Bug thing passed without a glitch, ya gotta wonder if you can trust anyone out there to shoot straight with you on anything anymore; you know what I’m saying? I’ve thought for a long time now that our Presidential Candidates are picked for their ability to lie and feel all noble about it and shit. --- Anyhow; I’m seeing a bright, warm sunny day out my window and want to get out there and snatch me some. So; I’m speeding through this pretty damn important topic for purely selfish reasons.


IF YOU CREATED IT, YOU ARE PROTECTED

Many have themselves believing that in order for your work to be “Copyright Protected” you have to take some kind of action and lay out some kind of money to “obtain” a Copyright. POINT OF FACT: If you are the original creator of anything, that thing, be it Audio, Visual, or Written Material, is automatically protected under Copyright Law.

Repeating; you do not have to file your intellectual nor creative property with the US Governments Copyright Office, for your work to be protected under Copyright Law.


IF SO, WHY WOULD ANYONE BOTHER?

Excellent question. You may, especially as you become increasing more successful in your creative career, want to have every move you make Registered with the US Copyright Office. What Registering your work does accomplish is to provide the original creator with proof dating. Thought it may seem like a high improbable thing, it has happened throughout the history of creative man that more than one person created the same or similar thing during the same period of time.

Registering your creative and intellectual property provides you with evidence that you created it, and you didn’t steel it yourself.


SHOULD AN UPSTART COPYRIGHT?

If the expense won’t break you bank account, go for it. But truthfully, you could send your Script out to a thousand Agents and Producers, if you could, and there isn’t a one of them out there looking to steel a Screenwriters work. Agents and Producers are looking for Screenwriters that can count on to be productive for years on end.


SHOULD I REGISTER WITH THE WGA?

Why not; at a minimum it will make you feel like you’re in the business. And it really does provide you with a proof date of creation if you ever need it. Keep in mind that the WGA is not a Government Entity, it’s a Union. I’m not saying that’s good or bad, I’m just laying out the facts here. Also, the WGA doesn’t hold your Script on file for time immemorial; they hold it for all of five years. Weight this against the fact that many Inde Spec Scripts have taken over 5 years to get into Production. So, you re-register. Registering with the US Copyright Office has you covered for 70 years; long time before others can Publish your work for their own gain and give you not a piece of the action.

But, check this out.


WHAT ISN’T PROTECTED

I trust you are actually going to go the Copyright Office site and study this out for yourselves; but let me tell you here what is not protected under Copyright Law.

<> The Title
<> The Idea

Hell, if you pitch your idea and Title to someone who was so inclined they could go out and write a Script for a Movie of the same concept and title, and cut you out altogether. They don’t need your original Script, just the idea and Title, if they like it enough to run with it. No protection, nothing you could do. But, how often do you thing some upstart, wannbe Script Writer has had his idea and Tile ripped off?

I wouldn’t go Paranoid over the off chance that this would ever happen to you. Do everything in your power to make yourself and your talents known to Industry People. It’s a who you know business, and what they’re looking for more than a one shot Script or Finished Inde Film are Writers and Directors who can get the job done again and again consistently.


BEST PLACE FOR COPYRIGHT INFO

There is no better place for copyright information than from the people who do the copywriting. At the end of this article you will be provided the Link to the US Copyright Office.

It is, of course, the Federal Government that handles these matters. If you’ve ever tried to find information on a Government Website, you will be absolutely astonished at how easy it is to find what you’re looking for on this website.

US COPYRIGHT OFFICE


ATSA RAP

If you want hook up with more information on who the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are and what they do, including registering Scripts and how to do it, I have their Link posted on this Blogs Home Page on the right hand column. Just the same, here you go:


WGA EAST (Califonia)

WGA WEST (New York)


Now go:

KICCASS