At what stage to copyright?

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  • At what stage to copyright?

    Hello!

    I was wondering at what point would it be best to copyright my screenplay. I have a first draft, but I will obviously have several more. If I copyright it now, can I make edits? Or is it acceptable to copyright a first draft considering most of the content won't churn?

    Thanks!

  • #2
    Re: At what stage to copyright?

    Originally posted by nkwriter View Post
    Hello!

    I was wondering at what point would it be best to copyright my screenplay. I have a first draft, but I will obviously have several more. If I copyright it now, can I make edits? Or is it acceptable to copyright a first draft considering most of the content won't churn?

    Thanks!
    Prodcos can't steal it if they don't read it. Don't worry about it until you're sending it out for consideration.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: At what stage to copyright?

      Originally posted by nkwriter View Post
      Hello!

      I was wondering at what point would it be best to copyright my screenplay. I have a first draft, but I will obviously have several more. If I copyright it now, can I make edits? Or is it acceptable to copyright a first draft considering most of the content won't churn?

      Thanks!
      I have written dozens of scripts, and I've never worried about copyright. I've registered with the WGA, but I don't really even bother with that anymore.

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      • #4
        Re: At what stage to copyright?

        Thanks for your answers. I was just contemplating if I should bother copyrighting before sending it to critique partners.

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        • #5
          Re: At what stage to copyright?

          Originally posted by nkwriter View Post
          Thanks for your answers. I was just contemplating if I should bother copyrighting before sending it to critique partners.
          If you think your critique circle would steal your material, you might want to find a new critique circle.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: At what stage to copyright?

            Originally posted by nkwriter View Post
            Hello!

            I was wondering at what point would it be best to copyright my screenplay. I have a first draft, but I will obviously have several more. If I copyright it now, can I make edits? Or is it acceptable to copyright a first draft considering most of the content won't churn?

            Thanks!
            First, from a legal perspective, as far as I understand it, "copyright" is created as material is created. You're actually just talking about registering the material formally in order to create an objective chain of title.

            You can do that any time you want. You don't need to. It's cheaper to pay you for your material than steal it wholesale. People don't do that, if anything, they steal ideas and repurpose/reconceive them (and there's no law against that), but more likely than that is they steal smaller things, inspirations, moments, etc.., and there's no way for you to go after that.

            Fear of theft is really the mark of the amateur. You have nothing to worry about.

            Comment

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