The WGA Script Registry is No Substitute for Copyright Registration

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• How do I register my copyright?

  The government’s website (www.copyright.gov) provides comprehensive information and instructions for copyright registration. Your registration is effective as of the day that the Copyright Office receives your completed application, application fee, ...

• What does registering my copyright accomplish?

  Registering the copyright in your work with the U.S. Copyright Office is the one and only way you can avail yourself of the various rights and remedies provided by U.S. Copyright Law and defend your work against infringement.

• Can I mail a copy of my script to myself or register it with the Guild?

  Despite what you may have heard, the practice of establishing a “poor man’s copyright” (where you mail the manuscript to yourself or register it with an organization like the Writer’s Guild) is of little legal significance. That is why the Dramatists ...

• Stage to Screen, Part I

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• Can I copyright revisions to my work?

  When substantial changes (i.e., more than mere edits or minor alternations) have been incorporated into your work, the revised version of your work must be registered to protect any new elements added. This generally occurs after you have presented a ...