How to Copyright or Register Your Screenplay

Quick answer: in the United States, your screenplay is protected by copyright as soon as you write it down, but registering it with the U.S. Copyright Office gives you important legal advantages, including the ability to file an infringement lawsuit. Registration is done online, and as of October 2026 the fee is $45 for the Single Application or $65 for the Standard Application. Many writers also register with the WGA West Registry, which creates a separate dated record of authorship. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Almost every new screenwriter worries about the same thing: what if someone steals my script? It is a fair question, and the answer has two parts. Copyright law already protects your written script. Registration is how you put that protection on the public record and make it easier to enforce. In most cases the author is the first copyright owner of an original script; work made for hire is the main exception.

This guide explains what copyright protects, how to register a screenplay with the U.S. Copyright Office, how WGA registration differs, and the myths worth ignoring. It is part of the Movie Squirrel series on how to become a screenwriter. Fees and procedures below were checked on the official U.S. Copyright Office and WGAW Registry websites and are labeled “as of October 2026.” Rules and fees change, so confirm them on the official sites before you file. Copyright is one form of intellectual property, and the sections below cover the basics of U.S. copyright law as it applies to screenplays.

This article is not legal advice. For questions about a specific script, contract or dispute, talk to a qualified entertainment attorney.

What Copyright Protects in a Screenplay

According to the U.S. Copyright Office, your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form. For a screenplay, that means once the script is written down, whether in a file or on paper, the text is protected. You do not need to register it, publish it or put a copyright notice on it for that basic protection to exist. Copyright covers many kinds of original creative work, from literary works to music and other artistic works, and a screenplay is one of them.

Copyright protects your expression: the specific scenes, dialogue, characters as written, and the way you tell the story. It does not protect everything connected to a script. The Copyright Office says copyright does not protect:

• Ideas, concepts, systems or methods, although it may protect the way they are expressed.
• Names, titles, slogans and short phrases. Some of these may be protected as trademarks in certain situations, which is a separate area of law.
• Facts. A true story can be told by many writers, though each writer’s telling is their own expression.

This is why two films can share a premise without either one infringing the other. The idea of a heist on a moving train belongs to no one. Your particular script about one does.

For works created on or after January 1, 1978, copyright generally lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years, according to the Copyright Office’s Circular 1, Copyright Basics. Works made for hire follow different rules. After that term ends, the work enters the public domain.

Why Register With the U.S. Copyright Office?

If copyright exists automatically, why register at all? Registration of copyright strengthens the copyright owner’s position if infringement happens. The Copyright Office’s Circular 1 lists several legal advantages:

• For U.S. works, registration (or a refusal of registration) is necessary before you can file an infringement lawsuit in court.
• Registration made before or within five years of publication establishes prima facie evidence of the validity of the copyright and the facts stated in the certificate.
• If registration is made before an infringement, or within three months after publication of a work, the copyright owner may be eligible for statutory damages, attorney’s fees and costs.

That last point is a strong reason to register before you start sending a script out widely. A registration that comes after an infringement may still let you sue, but it may limit what you can recover. An entertainment or intellectual property lawyer can help you weigh the timing.

Registration also creates a public record. Producers who are considering buying or optioning a script may ask about its chain of title, and a registration helps document it. The registration number on the certificate helps identify the work in the public records.

How to Register a Screenplay With the Copyright Office

The Copyright Office treats screenplays as works of the performing arts, a category that also includes stage plays, teleplays, treatments and synopses. Registration is done online through the Copyright Office’s Electronic Copyright Office (eCO) registration system, which you reach from the Registration Portal at copyright.gov. The Copyright Office itself is part of the Library of Congress, and a finished film is registered separately, as a motion picture.

The basic steps look like this:

1. Create an account in the eCO registration system.
2. Choose the type of application. The Single Application is for one work by one author who is also the sole claimant, and that is not a work made for hire. Most other cases use the Standard Application.
3. Enter the title, author, claimant and creation details as prompted.
4. Pay the fee online.
5. Upload a digital copy of the script as the deposit, usually a PDF.

The effective date of registration is the date the Copyright Office receives all the required materials in acceptable form, according to Circular 1, not the date your certificate arrives. The Office publishes current processing times on its Registration Portal. Formalities such as registration are optional for protection, but for a U.S. work, registration is generally required before you can file an infringement lawsuit.

Copyright Office Fees (as of October 2026)

The Copyright Office’s official fees page lists these registration fees as of October 2026:

• Single Application, filed electronically (single author, same claimant, one work, not for hire): $45.
• Standard Application, filed electronically: $65.
• Paper filing (including Form PA for performing arts works): $125.
• Group registration of unpublished works: $85, with its own eligibility requirements.

Paper filing costs more and is slower, so most writers file online. If you co-wrote the script, the Single Application does not apply, because it requires a single author. Paper filing uses Form PA, the form for works of the performing arts, which the Office sends by mail on request. Check the US Copyright Office fee schedule for current amounts.

What About Drafts and Rewrites?

Copyright protects each version as it is written, but a registration covers the material in the deposit you submit. Writers often register a finished draft before sending it out, then register a later draft if it changes substantially. Whether a revised draft needs a new registration depends on how much new material it contains. This is one of the questions worth asking an attorney about for an important project.

WGA Registration: What It Is and How It Differs

The Writers Guild of America West Registry offers a separate service. It does not replace copyright registration, and the Registry says so directly. According to its official site, WGAW registration documents a writer’s claim of authorship of a written work on a given date, and the Registry may produce the material as evidence if legal action is initiated. Copyright registration, by contrast, documents ownership under federal law. The Registry is run by the Writers Guild of America West, and you do not need to be a Guild member to use it.

As of October 2026, the WGAW Registry’s official site lists these details:

• You do not need to be a WGA member, and you can register from anywhere.
• Registration is online only. Paper material is not accepted, and in-person services are not available.
• The fee is $20 for the general public and $10 for WGA members in good standing.
• Registration lasts five years and can be renewed for another five-year term.
• Scripts, treatments, synopses, outlines and many other kinds of material can be registered.
• Titles are not protected by registration.

Many writers use both services: WGA registration for drafts and treatments as they develop, and Copyright Office registration for a finished script before it goes out widely. The guide to writing a treatment covers treatments and synopses in more detail. WGA registration is a registration service that documents authorship and is not copyright registration.

Copyright Office vs. WGA Registry at a Glance

• What it records: the Copyright Office registers a copyright claim under federal law; the WGAW Registry records a dated claim of authorship.
• Needed to sue: for U.S. works, Copyright Office registration or refusal is required before an infringement suit; WGA registration does not meet that requirement.
• Cost as of October 2026: $45 or $65 online at the Copyright Office; $20, or $10 for members, at the WGAW Registry.
• Term: copyright generally lasts the author’s life plus 70 years; WGAW registration lasts five years, renewable.

Myths Worth Ignoring

"Poor Man's Copyright"

Some writers mail a copy of their script to themselves and keep the sealed envelope as proof. The Copyright Office addresses this directly: it says there is no provision in the copyright law for this kind of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration.

"I Need a Copyright Notice on My Title Page"

A copyright notice is not required for protection. Many readers and contests also prefer a clean title page without registration numbers or copyright lines, and some contests ask for no identifying information at all. The U.S. dropped the notice requirement for works published on or after March 1, 1989, when it joined the Berne Convention, an international copyright treaty that does not allow formalities as a condition of protection.

"Registering My Logline Protects My Idea"

Ideas, titles and short phrases are not protected by copyright. Your protection comes from the written script and treatment, not from a one-line summary. Contracts and confidentiality agreements are separate legal tools that can sometimes cover ideas, but they are not copyright.

"Registration Prevents Theft"

Registration does not stop anyone from copying a script. It gives you evidence and legal tools if someone does. In practice, most professional readers and companies have strong reasons not to steal scripts, which is one reason many require signed submission releases. What copyright law gives the owner is a set of exclusive rights, such as copying, distributing and adapting the work, along with the means to enforce them.

Submission Releases and Protecting Yourself

Many production companies will only read unsolicited scripts if you sign a submission release, a document that limits their liability if they develop something similar. Contests often have similar language. For example, Final Draft’s Big Break rules include an acknowledgment that judges receive many submissions that may be similar to other material. The terms and conditions of a release are worth reading carefully.

Practical habits help:

• Register your script before wide distribution.
• Keep dated drafts, notes and emails that show your development process.
• Submit through reputable channels: established contests, representatives and companies.
• Read any release or contract before signing, and consult an entertainment attorney for anything that grants rights or options. The Writers Guild of America West says it does not provide lawyer referrals, but its FAQ points writers to California Lawyers for the Arts as a resource.

Co-Writers, Adaptations and True Stories

A few situations need extra care.

Co-written scripts usually have joint authors, so the Single Application does not apply, and both writers should agree on how the work is registered and who controls it. A written collaboration agreement, made before the script is finished, avoids many later disputes. That collaborator’s agreement can also spell out who may grant a copyright license, since each joint author can generally license the work non-exclusively but must account to the other for any profits.

Adaptations raise a different issue. If your script is based on a novel, article or another film that is still under copyright, you generally need the rights holder’s permission to exploit it, and registering your adaptation does not give you those rights. Contests reflect this. Big Break, for example, does not accept adaptations unless the source material was written by the entrant or is in the public domain. In copyright terms an adaptation is a derivative work. Fair use is judged case by case and should not be assumed, while public domain material is free to reuse. If the script names specific songs, remember that musical works and sound recordings have their own copyright owners, and those rights are cleared separately, usually by the production.

Scripts based on real people and events can involve questions about life rights, privacy and defamation. Those are not copyright issues, and they are exactly the kind of question to take to an entertainment attorney before you try to sell the script. Life story rights are usually acquired through a written agreement. When you are ready to submit, the guide to screenwriting contests covers which competitions to consider.

Tools That Help

These books and desk tools help you keep organized records of your work.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Copyright Handbook: What Every Writer Needs to Know (Nolo) (paid link): A plain-language guide to copyright for creators, useful background before talking to an attorney.

The Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottier (paid link): Includes a section on protecting and marketing a script.

SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD (paid link): For regular local backups of every draft, alongside any cloud saving.

Amazon Basics Expanding Accordion File Organizer, Letter Size (13 pockets) (paid link): Keeps registration certificates, contracts and payment records in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my screenplay copyrighted automatically?

Yes. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, a work is protected the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form. Registration adds legal advantages but is not what creates the copyright. That basic protection applies to any original work of authorship once it is fixed.

How much does it cost to copyright a screenplay?

As of October 2026, the Copyright Office lists $45 for an electronic Single Application and $65 for an electronic Standard Application. Paper filing is $125. Check the official fees page before filing.

Should I register with the WGA or the Copyright Office?

They do different things. Copyright registration is needed before filing an infringement suit for U.S. works and can affect what you may recover. WGA registration creates a dated record of authorship. Many writers use both.

Can I copyright a movie idea?

No. The Copyright Office says copyright does not protect ideas or concepts, only the way they are expressed. Write the idea out as a script or treatment to protect your expression of it.

Do I need to register before entering contests?

Most contests do not require it, but many recommend it. Final Draft’s Big Break, for example, recommends registering with the WGA and/or the U.S. Copyright Office.

Do I need a lawyer to register?

No. Writers commonly register online themselves. For contracts, options, disputes or adaptation rights, an entertainment attorney is the right person to ask.

Sources and Further Reading

• U.S. Copyright Office Registration Portal, including the eCO registration system and processing times.
• U.S. Copyright Office fees.
• Copyright Office: Performing Arts works, which include screenplays and treatments.
• Circular 1: Copyright Basics (PDF).
• Copyright Office general FAQ, including “poor man’s copyright.”
• WGAW Registry FAQ.