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| | Registering your script is important, as it provides secure storage and some
proof of authorship in the event someone plagiarizes your story. You have
six options, including three online services. Registering your script
online is convenient, but it's riskier than using a brick-and-mortar
service. (One of the first online registries recently went out of
business.) Registration services are like banks: You want to make
sure they're around when you come to make a withdrawal.
 | The Writers Guild of America (wga.org).
The Guild accepts unbound copies 8.5 inches by 11 inches (21.5 cm by 27.9
cm). For a $20 fee ($10 for members), the WGA will keep your script on
file for five years. Be sure to include your return address on the
title page and your social security number (or foreign equivalent). |
WGAw Registry
7000 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048-4329
U.S.A.
Telephone (323) 782-4500
FAX (323) 782-4803
You can also register your script online at
www.wgawregistry.org.
As a service to all writers, the Guild publishes a list of agents who are licensed by the State of
California. That list is available online at
wga.org/agency/agencylist.asp.
You can also view a list of agents and managers
at Done Deal Pro (donedealpro.com).
A subscription to Done Deal Pro costs $23.95 a year.
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ProtectRite (protectrite.com),
the National Creative Registry's intellectual property protection service.
You can upload your script (up to 3 MB in size) for instant protection.
The $18.95 fee, payable by secure online transaction, is good for ten years.
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| Writers' Copyright Association
(wcauk.com), the foremost script
registration service in Europe, provides worldwide protection at a
higher fee (£10 a year). They also host a free script
marketplace where writers can post their work and get it seen by
hundreds of producers and agents.
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| duly
noted™, also in the U.K., is the newest kid on the block. For £20 they keep your script on
file for ten years using "fingerprint" technology, which they
claim is tamper-proof. The company also offers GemProtect™,
an online back-up service. Their well-organized Web site contains a wealth of
information about copyright.
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| File for copyright
protection with the Library of Congress (loc.gov)
in Washington, D.C. The disadvantages are it takes from 4 to 5 months to
process, costs $30, and you must place a copyright notice on your work.
Please be aware that the Industry tends to view a copyright notice as the mark
of a paranoid amateur. |
 Click&Copyright (clickandcopyright.com)
can assist you in preparing the proper forms. The
Library of Congress estimates that half the applications they receive
are incorrect, and must be re-filed. Click&Copyright makes
sure it's done right the first time. Their $97 fee includes all
filing costs.
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Alternatively, you can send yourself a copy
by registered mail. This "poor man's copyright" doesn't
provide the same level of protection, but it is faster and cheaper. All things considered, it's smarter to just register
your work. |
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