Mail a Copy to Yourselfĭespite myths about a “poor man’s copyright”, there are no written laws in the United States that suggest mailing a document that is unsealed constitutes legal copyright. This will also make the URL be available to the public. The two (2) options below use an online time-stamp generated by a third (3rd) party known as the “internet archive.”ġ.) Upload the Work – The creator can upload their work to (“wayback machine”) and place it in a public or private account where it is recorded with a time-stamp to show the work was uploaded on a specific date.Ģ.) Screen Capture – If the creator has their own website, they may also upload the works there and request /web/to crawl the page and will show a date and time the page was crawled. It is best to register with both labor unions, although, if a creator is to register with only one (1) the West is recommended due to it being a larger and prominent group within the film industry.

East – Register Here and there will be a fee of $25 (for non-members).

West – Register Here with a fee of $20 (for non-members).

The Writers’ Guild of America is broken into two (2) parts (recommended to register for both):

In addition to any copyright, the creator of a script should have their works protected by the two (2) largest writer labor unions for movies, documentaries, television, books, plays, and any other publications. View Current Processing Times – To get an idea of the copyright process time frame.

Two (2) complete copies if the work has been published.

One (1) complete copy if the work is unpublished.

Attach the script with the following number (#) of copies:.

Code § 408, an individual may apply for copyright under the following:

The best way to protect a script is to register the creative works with the United States government. If the movie script is shared without authorization, the sharing party will be liable for financial and legal damages. A movie non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is used to protect a screenwriter from having a script copied or shared with third parties.

Movie scripts pdf to print