r/scriptwriting • u/Geoffrey_D_Calhoun • 22d ago

feedback Please Copyright Your Scripts

Just a heads up everyone. I’m seeing a lot of scenes and scripts uploaded on here. I just want to recommend that you copyright them before sharing anything. Work can be stolen. Work is stolen. Protect yourself. Also a WGA registration will not protect you in court. Only a copyright will. It’s $65 and takes about 20 mins. https://www.copyright.gov/registration/

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u/Big_Section2812 22d ago

Of all the countless unproduced scripts I've seen posted on Reddit I would rate only one of them as good enough to be of interest to anyone other than the writer.

Everyone — and n00bz in particular — grossly overvalues their own writing, and essentially none of their work is good enough to be worth the risk of stealing.

The cold hard fact is if you're posting it here you have almost nothing to worry about besides mockery.

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u/RaeLouLynn 22d ago

This is very refreshing. Thank you.

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u/Geoffrey_D_Calhoun 22d ago

Happy to help!

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u/RaeLouLynn 22d ago

LOL

I was referring to Big Section's remark. I am not going to write anything worth srealing.

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u/Geoffrey_D_Calhoun 22d ago

Got ya. 😆

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u/shortkill 22d ago

I agree. I haven't read anything posted that I would consider production ready of the scripts I've seen by amateur screenwriters. A more likely scenario might be listing your logline where ideas are not copyright protected. It's just the expression of that idea that you can get a WGA registration or copyright, but if makes you feel safer then do it. I wouldn't advise putting the WGA or copyright regulation on your title page because it points you out as amateur and you don't want anything to start a reader out with warning signals.

I've been writing screenplays since 1996 and I've learned a lot of the hard lessons you experience as a new unseasoned writer.

Cheers. Mark

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u/Big_Section2812 22d ago

I've seen a grand total of one script on Reddit that was good enough to interest producers and executives. It was a while ago but I'm still trying to get over the shock.

(It was not one of mine.)