How to Copyright a Screenplay (WGA vs Copyright Office)
Screenwriters face a specific fear: pitching a script and seeing the idea show up elsewhere. Here's how to actually protect a screenplay — and why a dated record before you pitch is the practical safeguard.
Copyright Office vs WGA registration
Two different things get confused here:
- U.S. Copyright Office registration (Form PA) is the legal copyright registration — required to sue, and it unlocks statutory damages. File at copyright.gov.
- WGA registration (Writers Guild) simply creates a dated record that your script existed on a date. It is not a copyright registration and expires after a set term — it's evidence, not rights.
Note that copyright protects your expression (the actual script), not the underlying idea or premise — which is exactly why writers worry about pitches.
Dated proof before you pitch
Because ideas aren't protected, your defense in a "they stole my script" situation is showing that your specific written expression existed first. A blockchain timestamp does what WGA registration does — creates dated proof — but it's permanent, tamper-proof, and independently verifiable forever.
Timestamp your draft, treatment, or outline with BlockchainSign before sending it to producers, contests, or representation. The file is hashed in your browser, recorded on Ethereum, and you keep a lifetime certificate that your exact draft existed on that date.