ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

10 years, 5 months ago - Lee 'Wozy' Warren

Unless, 2 years later you see your short film on the big screen as a feature! :P

10 years, 5 months ago - Marlom Tander

The fact that you created it gives you those rights. What this is about is being able to PROVE when you created it.

For all I know you have a supply of envelopes going back years, that you sent through the post so all postmarked, ready for you to slip in your stuff, seal it up and then wheel out as "evidence" that you did this all years ago.

(In fact I have a supply of such envelopes. My 1995's are on special offer this week, just 12K each - I price to value, not cost...).

That's the value of using third parties - their statement is basically "she gave us this in 2015, and we put it the safe, and no one has been near it since. Shall we open it?". And they'll be believed, if they are considered independent.

Read on what document won Philo Farnsworth his patent case against RCA in 1935. Or Peter Chilvers and the "windsurfer" case.

10 years, 5 months ago - Alexandra Queen

Thanks for your responses Shooters! :)

What if I was posting the screenplay along with the hard copy of the film to my own home address?

Could that give an automatic right that I am the creator of this project?

10 years, 5 months ago - Marlom Tander

a single email isn't proof of anything UNLESS you can also show that it wasn't tampered with, and tampering is pretty trivial to do, and to prove you didn't will take an expensive computer forensic expert. (Meanwhile you hired one to prove that the other people have altered their emails.....)

emails are great evidence when they form bundles and patterns, or the sender/recipient never expected them to become evidence,

the great thing about old school is that it's a third party puts their rep on the line, and that makes it hard for a court to find against them without getting into conspiracy territory, which isn't somewhere courts like to go

10 years, 5 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

I believe the US copyright office offer a similar service, similar price, and that's all the credibility you need if you have to go to court ;)

In reality, do you need to do that for a short film? I wouldn't, myself. There's no measurable financial value to a short, it's hard enough to get people to watch shorts without adding hurdles, probably unnecessary.

10 years, 5 months ago - Alexandra Queen

Hi Shooters,

Any advice will be much appreciated :)

Many thanks,
Alexandra!!!

10 years, 5 months ago - Lee 'Wozy' Warren

There are various places where you can register a script for copyright. Raindance have a service I think, as do BECTU and most certainly WGAW. There is a small fee to pay but using such a service adds weight (subjectively some may say) to the copyright of your work as you are then given a registration number to put on your script.

10 years, 5 months ago - sophie gueydon

can't you just send the script to yourself? (email is a proof, no?)

10 years, 5 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

In the UK and most countries, copyright is automatic, you can state (c) 2015 Alexandra Kavoura, your rights are protectable.

What copyright registration companies do is to take a sealed copy, stamp the date on it, and put it in a drawer somewhere. If someone claims your film is theirs, and you find out, you take them to court, the registration sends the sealed, dated envelope to the court, and the court can see that as of the date on it, copyright was yours. If the challenger can produce an earlier dated copy from another reputable source, the case would go to them.

10 years, 5 months ago - Lee 'Wozy' Warren

In my opinion, don't cut corners on copyright registration... It's twenty bucks for christ's sake! You spend many months writing the darn thing, crafting it, protecting it, developing it... then you cut the corners so someone else can steal it (if they were so inclined). Don't!