ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

11 years, 2 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

^^ If it isn't obvious from the above, you'd do that to show the court that you have a traceable piece of evidence that you had the words before the other person - earliest proof wins.

11 years, 2 months ago - Sin Monero

Great thank you guys for your advice

11 years, 2 months ago - Dan Selakovich

Last I checked, the WGA for nonmembers cost the same as a U.S. copyright. Why not do it officially?

11 years, 2 months ago - John David Clay

Sinitta,

I would recommend euroscript there a good script service just build my own writer site on one of their course days. there other one WGA (writer's guild of America frequently hear that you should generally register with them for copyright the offical paper trait etc.

another one might the script factory their other development service their courses are good. Anyway hope some of that is useful to you a very best of luck with production companies and agents.

Best Regards

John
Writer / Cinematographer
BKSTS

11 years, 2 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Strictly speaking, in the UK, copyright itself is completely automatic. You write something, it is your copyright the moment it leaves your pen. HOWEVER if you then send those words to me, and I go forth and make a movie from them cutting you out of the deal, you need to be able to challenge me in court.

How can you demonstrate in court that they're your words? You use a registration service which puts your script in a big old filing cabinet unread, unopened, but with a date stamped on it. That's all they're for - so you can produce a sealed, dated version of the script before a court if push comes to shove.

11 years, 2 months ago - Sin Monero

Thank you Paddy that has definitely made things a lot clearer for me.

11 years, 2 months ago - Dan Selakovich

Paddy, it's the same in the U.S. BUT things like the WGA that just stuff your script into one of the file cabinets to prove when you registered it with them... Again, there's no legal teeth in that if you do go to court. Imagine it this way: a studio isn't going to steal your stuff. But some slimy writer just might. He'll say that Sinitta stole it from him. He has a government issued copyright. She has a script service copyright. The court will recognize the official copyright. Not the poor man's copyright.

In the very rare chance Sinitta has something stolen, without an official government issued copyright, winning in court is very difficult. Usually these cases revolve around a similar idea that two or more writers have come up with separately without knowledge of one another.

Mostly it is because a studio bought a shit script, but kept the concept. Then hired a good writer to write a script around that concept. The hired writer has no idea that the studio got their concept from another writer. This happens often, and the WGA arbitration for screen credit kicks in. This usually ends badly for the good writer, no matter how different his/her script is from the "original." I know a few working feature film writers, and this has happened to each. I've also read those scripts, and can't imagine how in the world the WGA ruled in favor of the original writer, but they did. The good writer's script only have a whisper of the original concept. Theses hacks certainly don't deserve a screen credit, much less a shared credit above the good writer. Wish I could tell you what movies these are. I'm 90 percent certain you've seen them, but don't want to get anyone in trouble. But it's really horrid. Imagine you've been hired by Warner bros. to write a movie, the movie is made, but a month before the release another writer comes out of the woodwork demanding WGA arbitration, and you had no idea. Anyway, I'll stop my ramble: not much to do with the original question.

11 years, 2 months ago - Peter Ward

Anything you create carries a copyright automatically. It's a matter of being able to defend yourself legally. Which in practice means:

a) Proving origination date

b) Being able to pony up for legal fees when it comes time to sue.

Copyright.gov may be a more legitimate way to prove origination date than WGA, but you still have to fight. Like patents, you can basically register anything you want. The merits of your claim of ownership doesn't get--for lack of another word--investigated until you sue or get sued.

Given the expense involved, I'm not sure it's even worth worrying too much about. Personally, a WGA registration is probably enough to deter outright plagiarism. Beyond blatant plagiarism, proving theft is next to impossible (unless someone knows of some precedents I'm missing) and very costly.

11 years, 2 months ago - Dan Selakovich

WGA is NOT a copyright. For a U.S. copyright, go directly to http://www.copyright.gov

Anything that is not an official government copyright has no legal teeth. Don't waste your money. I know I'll get a lot of blowback from people as I always do on this topic, but my entertainment attorney told me this, and she knows what she's talking about.