How to Copyright a Screenplay or Script

How To: Copyright a Screenplay

When you are beginning the process of producing a film one of the key elements you are going to need is a script. You can either find a script that has already been written or write your own. However you decide to go about doing this it is important to register the work with the United States copyright office before going into production on the project. This guarantees that once the film is produced no one can come back and claim you produced a work that they had written. The United States copyright is a must before going into production on any project no matter how small. The copyright is a form of protection for both you and anyone else involved in the project.

The first step is to put together a package including either a form TX or short form TX, a check for $30 made out to the “Register of Copyrights” and a non-returnable copy of the materials that are being registered. The form TX and short form TX can be obtained at the copyright offices website at http://www.copyright.gov under the literary works tab.

Finally address the package to…

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
101 Independence Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C.20559-6000

As soon as the copyright office receives your package and confirms that it has been received in proper order your copyright is considered to be in effect. You will receive written confirmation in the mail shortly thereafter.

It is also of paramount importance to register your screenplay with the WGA. It can be done online and does not cost a lot of money at all. Simply go to: http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss and follow the instructions. A lot of management companies won’t take screenplays that have not been registered with the WGA.

Copyright protection is the legal right granted to the creator of creative work to be the exclusive party who can exploit that work. What this means is that if an author, playwright, musician, composer, filmmaker, or distributor registers their work with the copyright office they are the only person who has the right to exploit their work for profit or for distribution. Copyright protection has been instituted to protect the creators of these types of works which are generally referred to as intellectual property. These laws do not cover the creator of a work if they have been hired by another individual or party specifically to create a work. This is what is known as a work made for hire, in which case the person who hired the creator will retain the copyright.

If you are trying to register any type of literary work you should follow the copyright process as explained here. Literary works can generally be described as any manuscript, book, poetry, written text or any computer program or database.