Copyrighting your Script: Form PA, Package 119 - Where can I find this form?

Creatively Bankrupt

Creatively Bankrupt

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I was told when registering a script with the WGA a few months back to also register it with the Librabry of Congress to copyright the work, showing that I own it - as the writers who worked with me to create it are simply credited there as the writers.

The Library of Congress website says I need Form PA, Package 119, and in order to get the form they say I have to call and leave a message with all the info, then they will mail it out. I've done this twice now, once 3 months ago and again about a month ago. Nothing has arrived.

It is getting to a point where we need to have this stuff locked down so we can move forward with producers. Does anyone here have experience with these forms? Google is surprisingly short on info and I've yet to find what I need in downloadable in PDF format, which really surprises me. I've seen documents saying the forms are available from the copyright.gov site, but I can't find them on there. Do they go by a name other than Form PA, Package 119?

Is legalzoom.com the answer?
http://www.legalzoom.com/sem/copyrightpage.html

Thanks for any experience you have on this.
 
Unless you are going to shoot the script yourself, don't copyright protect it, that's my opinion as a screenwriter. Just get it registered at the WGA and be done with it. The chances of anyone taking your story, next to nill. That's my advice. I NEVER copyright protect my scripts because it DATES the script. No one in Hollywood wants to buy something dated.
 
My advice is that you MUST copyright your script.

If you are worried about it being dated, you could always leave off the copyright date.

Consult an entertainment attorney if you have questions.

Or change the copyright dates every year to keep it "fresh", but whatever you do, get it copyrighted.
 
where can i register with the WGA? and which form do I fill out to copyright it? It's kinda confusing.
 
so when send out the copywright form do I also send them my screenplay? That's probably a stupid question since how else would they know what it is I'm regestering, but just wanna make sure?
 
Copyright it... the wga makes sooo much money off the script registering but it really doesn't have any legal value.
 
Charli said:
Unless you are going to shoot the script yourself, don't copyright protect it, that's my opinion as a screenwriter. Just get it registered at the WGA and be done with it. The chances of anyone taking your story, next to nill. That's my advice. I NEVER copyright protect my scripts because it DATES the script. No one in Hollywood wants to buy something dated.
Click to expand...

Since when do people not want to buy something thats dated? If it's going to make money, its going to make money.... there are people that it takes 10 years to get there script sold.

While the chances of getting your whole script ripped off is pretty low, how pissed would you be if even something of similar likeness or naming was ripped off you, and they made a bunch of money off of it. PLUS...most studios won't look at a script unless its coming from an agent...and the agent won't work with it still they know who the owner is.
 
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