Copyright?

I

imbread

Member
I know this isn't exactly the right place to post this, but the screenwriting section of this board doesn't seem to get any visitors. Anyways, I wrote a short story for a creative writing class I am taking, and I am so in love with the story that I am going to turn it into a screenplay. Here's the problem, I found out the teacher is making a copy of each student's story for everyone in the class to read and critique. I am very nervous that my idea is going to get snagged. How do I go about copyrighting this story? I have heard horror stories about copyrights.. I've heard producers go through the stories/screenplays and steal the ideas... tweaking them just enough so it's "different." Can someone please give me some advice. I'm really paranoid something bad is going to happen. Thank you!

-Rob
 
mail yourself a copy ( registered mail ) and never open it, it'll be dated and you'll have the proof that it was written before anyone else.

But really, I think your probably working yourself up here, I can't imagine in any of the writing classes I have taken that anyone was thinking, he they have a good Idea I'm stealin it.. Plus even if you do this they can still take the idea, they just have to change it to a certain degree and since it's not even a screenplay yet you might want to start worrying when that's done
 
Your work is copyrighted the moment you write it. You should register it with copyright office if you want full potential protection. The WGA provides true proof of your document but a true copyright registration is required for full legal protection. Mailing it to yourself is an urban myth and provides no legal support. The post office doesn't check to see if the envelops are sealed, they just stamp them. You could send an empty envelop everyday and then slip in a copy of someone elses script when ever you felt like it.

Real producers would much rather buy or option your material than to deal with the legal issues afterward, especially if you have a full script. As has been noted ideas are not copyrightable so best advice is to get it into a screenplay form.
 
Scottdvx100 said:
Mailing it to yourself is an urban myth and provides no legal support. The post office doesn't check to see if the envelops are sealed, they just stamp them. You could send an empty envelop everyday and then slip in a copy of someone elses script when ever you felt like it.
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I haven't ever personally done this, but it was talked about in filmschool by several of the screenwriting teachers, as well I've heard it from a few others..... I'm not going to challenge it as I'm not 100% about the legality of it, but I don't by anymeans think It would work by just a normal toss a stamp on and mail it method it would have to be some sort of registered sealed package, I think that's what I said......
 
i took a copyright law class a few years back. the registered mail IS proof that you created the work first. It will work if you're defending yourself from the thief. That is, if somebody steels the work and publishes it and then later you publish the work and the thief sues you for infringement. But Scott is right- in order to sue somebody for copyright infringement the work has to be registered with the copyright office within 3 months of publication.
 
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