How to Copyright a Screenplay
As an artist, protecting your written work to prevent plagiarism is important. But if you’re new to the industry there’s a likely chance you’ve never faced the need to copyright before. Learning how to copyright a screenplay is simply and incredibly important. In order to protect your written work. Before you start sharing your script with others, you really should consider taking steps to protect your ideas. And prevent others from taking credit for the hard work that you’ve put in.
Copyrighting a screenplay will help to provide this protection of your written asset. While preventing others from plagiarizing or otherwise stealing your work.
A copyright represents a legally binding document. Which acts as protection against your proprietary ideas. Including those that are mastered into your screenplay. So that others may not plagiarize or otherwise steal them.
What Does a Copyright Protect?
Copyrighting your screenplay provides protection against others who might seek to take your idea or to represent your ideas as their own.
According to U.S. copyright law, your ideas and thoughts may not technically be copyrighted unless or until they have been written into a script. Copyrighting a script or screenplay is legally binding. And provides protection for your ideas and thoughts.
So, before you share all of your greatest thoughts or ideas with the world, consider copyright laws. You shouldn’t be hushed or completely silent on your screenplay ideas. But keep in mind that any ideas you share before they are a written and copyrighted screenplay, could be stolen.
Your job is to share at your discretion! Always do your best to create screenplays that others could never fulfill. And to copyright your written works. Protecting your written ideas is important.
How to Copyright a Screenplay
Learning how to copyright a screenplay that you have written or that you are in the process of writing is important. The copyright provides a public record of your script which protects your ideas and thoughts, and also confirms your interest in them.
You don’t even necessarily need an entire screenplay in order to apply for a copyright. In fact, a written treatment or a neatly, and fully outlined story, will qualify for copyright protection just as a completed script would.
Written Documentation
To apply for a copyright, first prepare your written document. Whether it’s a full script treatment, a script outline, or an actual screenplay it’s important to apply with the Library of Congress U.S. Copyright Office to get a screenplay copyright.
Be prepared to submit an application fee when you submit your screenplay or other written work for copyright. The fees vary, generally with costs running between $35 and $85 depending on whether you submit your application online or via paper application.
Sales
If you have already offered your script for sale, or for rent, to others then you will apply for a published copyright. However, most choose to seek copyright before they sell or rent their written works out and, as such, they will apply for an unpublished copyright.
It is highly recommended that you seek copyright prior to sharing your written work so that you are best protected.
Uploads
Upon filing your screenplay copyright registration, you can upload a copy of your unpublished script online for review by the Copyright Office.
If you’re applying for a published copyright, or if you apply for copyright by mail, you must submit paper copies of your written work alongside your application.
All in All
Once you have applied for a U.S. Copyright, you’ll simply wait for a response. Eventually, upon going through these steps on how to copyright a screenplay, you’ll hear back from the Copyright Office with confirmation that your screenplay has been protected.
Once this happens, we also recommend that you register your screenplay with the Writers Guild of America for added coverage. After all, it’s really like insurance for your screenplay.