by Vikki McMahon

Created on: May 01, 2008   Last Updated: May 04, 2008

The day you have been waiting for has finally arrived. The script you have been nurturing along for months, maybe even years, is now complete. What's next? There is always the worry, now that you have reached the submission process, that someone will steal your story. What are the copyright laws pertaining to movie scripts, and how does a novice screenwriter go about protecting his or her work?

It is a fairly straightforward process. Under the present copyright law, copyright exists in original works of authorship created and fixed in any tangible medium of expression now known or later developed, per the U.S. Copyright Office. It should be noted that concepts or ideas are not protected, only completed works.

In other words, your work need not be registered with the copyright office to be protected. A copyright commences once the script is written and is in effect for the author's lifetime plus seventy years. However, there are benefits to officially registering your script. It will give you the ability to establish a chain of title for your work. If plagiarism occurs, having a registered copyright guarantees an award of statutory damages and allows for the right to be compensated for attorney fees. There are three ways to legally protect your script.

The first way is through the United States Copyright Office. You can obtain the proper forms from the Library of Congress. Their address is:

Registrar of Copyright
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C. 20540

Or, you can download them from www.copyright.gov, under the Performing Arts section. You can also obtain them from your local Federal Building. Return the forms with a check made payable to "Register of Copyrights" for $45 and a clean copy of the material to be registered. Mail the package to:

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

Registration is effective on the date of receipt, and a certificate of registration will be sent to you within six months.

The second way to register your copyright is through the Writers Guild of America. You do not have to be a member in order to do this, but the fee will be higher. The WGA will copy your script and store it for ten years. If an infringement occurs, the Custodian of Records will be called to testify on your behalf. To register with the WGA, send a copy of your script with the appropriate fee to the registration office of your region:

Writers Guild of America West
8955 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Or,

Writers Guild of America East
22 West 48th St.
New York, NY 10036

The fees for this service vary so check with the appropriate office for amounts.

The final way to protect your work is also the simplest. Mail yourself a copy of the script and use "Return Receipt Requested". Once you receive it back in a postmarked envelope, file it away unopened. Although not the official way of registering your work, doing this as well as one of the previous methods will provide a little extra peace of mind.

With a registered copyright, you can protect your work and all the time and effort that went into its creation. Now, it's time to get out there and sell your script!

Learn more about this author, Vikki McMahon.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.