WGA West Logo / Photo Credit: Variety - WGA West
REGISTERING YOUR SCRIPT WITH THE WGA WEST – WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA WEST (In the Entertainment industry.)
Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/DumbDogProductionsLLC/ thank you.
No matter where you are located on the globe be smart and register your property before shopping or showing your idea (s) and any material. Once registered, please have a NDA - NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT signed by anyone you show or present your material too, period. They don’t sign, you don’t show. Studios usually will not sign a NDA, for many legal and real reasons. So presenting to them can be a gamble. Let’s face it all they need is an idea and they can create from there and/or take a different direction or concept of an idea.
Always register your property with the WGAW Registry, which accepts stage plays, novels, books, short stories, poems, commercials, lyrics, drawings, music, working title, idea or concept and various media work such as Web series, code, and other digital content. A WGA registration documents the creation date.
The purpose of a WGA registration is to establish and document the completion date of the literary property and protect the writer from plagiarism or theft. With a constant flow of projects being pitched to executives on a daily basis, it is not uncommon for some concepts to become muddled over time until finally, their origins are completely lost. A writer must protect himself or herself against this by establishing a date of creation through the WGA registry.
Not only is WGA registration used as an evidentiary tool, but in the event of litigation, the WGA will provide one of their employees to appear and testify concerning the date of the registration. Registration is a small step that you can take to protect yourself and the good news is that the process is simple, quick and affordable. WGA registration is available to anyone, anywhere, whether or not you are a member of the WGA.
As added protection register with the Library of Congress, U.S. Copyright Office.
WGAW Registry
7000 West Third St.,
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 782-4500
E-mail: WGAW Registry
Registering Your Script with the WGA West
FOLLOWING TEXT IS STRAIGHT FROM THE AWESOME FOLKS AT THE WGA-WEST.
WHAT IS REGISTRATION?
Registering your work with the WGAW Registry documents the claim of authorship of a written work and does NOT take the place of registering with the Library of Congress, U.S. Copyright Office which primarily documents the ownership or rights of written work. While both create legal evidence that can be used in court, we recommend contacting the Library of Congress directly with any questions regarding COPYRIGHT procedures or practices.
When you register your script prior to submitting it to contests, agents, managers, or producers, you document your authorship on a given date should there be unauthorized usage...
Registration provides a dated record of the writer's claim to authorship of literary material. The WGAW Registry may produce the material as evidence if legal action is initiated.
WHAT CAN BE REGISTERED?
Any file may be registered to assist you in documenting the creation of your work. Some examples of registerable material include scripts, treatments, synopses, and outlines...
The WGAW Registry also accepts stage plays, novels, books, short stories, poems, commercials, lyrics, drawings, music and various media work such as Web series, code, and other digital content.
WHY WGA WEST REGISTRY?
As the world leader in screenplay registration, the WGAW Registry has been the industry standard in the creation of legal evidence for the protection of writers’ work since 1927...
The WGA West is the home to nearly 12,000 of Hollywood's leading TV and screenwriters, but you do not need to be a WGAW member to use this vital Guild service.
REGISTRATION DETAILS
PURPOSE AND COVERAGE
The WGAW Registry assists writers and other creators in establishing the completion dates of material written for the fields of radio, film, television, video, and interactive media.
Registration provides a dated record of the writer's claim to authorship of a particular literary material. If necessary a WGA employee may produce the material as evidence if legal or official Guild action is initiated.
The Registry does not make comparisons of registration deposits, bestow any statutory protections, or give legal advice. Submitted material is not read by the Registry or other WGAW staff.
REGISTERABLE MATERIAL
Any file may be registered to assist you in documenting the creation of your work. Some examples of registerable material include scripts, treatments, synopses, outlines, and written ideas specifically intended for radio, television and film, video cassettes/discs, or interactive media. The WGAW Registry also accepts stage plays, novels, books, short stories, poems, commercials, lyrics, drawings, music and various media work such as Web series, code, and other digital content.
REGISTERABLE FILE FORMATS
Preferred file formats are ASCII, XML, PDF (Adobe Acrobat), Word, Final Draft , and Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000; however, all file formats will be accepted. You will be prompted to select the file on your hard drive that you wish to register. Please note that only one file for each online registration request will be accepted. Currently the file size limit is 10 MB. Zip files are prohibited.
In addition, other screenplay software and standard computer file formats are acceptable. For example, graphics files in .tiff, .jpg, or other popular formats may be used to register work.
Make certain you are uploading the correct file and version of your material. All registrations are final upon submission and cannot be changed, substituted, or voided.
TITLES
Titles are not registered with the WGAW Registry, as they are not protected by registration. The title or filename is mainly used to identify material within specific registrant records. The Registry does not make comparisons of titles or record title changes for registered material. Title changes do not require re-registration of material.
When submitting material to agencies or companies, you may use any title that you prefer.
CHANGES TO MATERIAL
You may change your work as much as you prefer; however, when the storyline has been affected or changed extensively, it becomes new material and should be registered or documented again in some manner.
It is solely at your discretion to submit multiple drafts or completed drafts of the same work for registration. The Registry does not make comparisons of drafts or material content.
All submissions, including subsequent drafts of existing registrations, are considered completely separate registrations and should be submitted accordingly with the required fees.
VIRUSES
The online registration system will not accept files containing viruses. Registrants attempting to register online with a file containing a virus will be notified to clean the file and try the online transaction again. If the file cannot be cleaned, the Registry suggests registering by mail or in person. Any credit card charges from virus-laden transactions are reversed within three business days.
REGISTRATION FEES
Registration fees are $20 (U.S.) for the general public, $10 (U.S.) for WGA members in good standing. The online system accepts only Visa/MasterCard as a form of payment. You will be billed in your local currency if outside the U.S.
Registration fees for hardcopy materials are payable in cash, check, money order, or credit card (Visa/MasterCard). All fees paid either by check or money order must be payable in U.S. dollars, as well as drawn from a U.S. bank account. Checks and money orders may be payable to WGAW.
The Registry does not accept bank transfers of any kind, nor release bank account information under any circumstance.
Material and payment may be sent by mail or hand-delivered to the WGAW Registry, 7000 W. Third Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. U.S.A.
DURATION AND EXPIRATION
Registration is valid for a term of five (5) years. Upon expiration, registration may be renewed for an additional five-year period at the current registration rate. Renewals will be accepted up to three (3) months prior to the expiration of the original registration. A grace period is extended allowing renewals as late as three (3) months following the expiration date.
At the time of registration, or renewal, you authorize the WGA to destroy the material without further notice to you on the expiration of the first term of registration or any renewal period.
IDENTIFYING REGISTERED WORK
Registrants may choose to identify registered material with the following language: "WGAW Registered" or "WGAW #_____" How and where you identify your material as being registered is completely at your discretion. You do not need permission to show your work as being registered.
ACCESS TO REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Only the writers listed on the registration receipt may request confirmation of registration, the registration number, date of deposit, or any other information.
The Registry will honor such written requests from writers regarding the registration of their own work(s) only if accompanied by photo identification. All verification or confirmation requests from a writer should contain as much specific information as possible, such as registration number, title of material, effective date, and social security number of writer, and may be submitted by facsimile, mail, or in person. The fax number for the Registry is (323) 782-4803.
In the event an author is deceased, proof of death and consent of the representative of the heirs and/or estate must be presented in order to obtain specific information regarding the material. The representative must provide court documents authenticating his or her claim as legal heir.
ACCESS TO COPIES OF DEPOSITED MATERIAL
Because the deposited material cannot be returned to the writer without defeating the purpose of registration, registered material may not be withdrawn. It is therefore important to always retain a separate copy of the material being registered.
If a writer finds it necessary to obtain a copy of deposited material, duplicates may be purchased for the price of registration upon written request by one or more of the listed authors, identified by photo ID. In the event an author is deceased, proof of death and consent of the representative of the heirs and/or estate must be presented in order to obtain a copy of the material.
Duplicates of online registrations will not be in paper form. Your online registration will be returned to you in an electronic format (CD) and sent via certified mail.
In no event, except under these provisions, shall any deposited material, copies of deposited material, or information regarding deposited material be provided unless an official guild action, court order, or other legal process has been served.
PRIVACY
The WGAW Registry has thoroughly evaluated the needs and security issues surrounding electronic submissions. The protection of your personal information is of the highest priority to the WGAW Registry.
Your personal information is requested for specific purposes and will be kept confidential. Unless you designate otherwise, it is only used in connection to your transaction(s) with the Registry and for information about the Registry, and it will not be disclosed to outside organizations for any purpose.
Only the writers listed on the registration record may request confirmation of registration, the registration number, date of deposit, or any other information. If necessary, a Registry employee may produce registration information or material in response to legal process or official Guild action.
The WGAW Registry will honor written requests from writers regarding the registration of their own work(s) only if accompanied by photo identification. All verification or confirmation requests from a writer should contain as much specific information as possible, such as registration number, title of material, effective date, and social security number of writer, and may be submitted by facsimile, mail, or in person. The fax number for the WGAW Registry is (323) 782-4803.
ADDING AUTHORS TO ONLINE SUBMISSIONS
If you add authors to your transaction, please do not type over the "Registrant/Author" or "Author 1" information. Instead, simply fill in the necessary information to the "Author 2" section. It is important to include all authors' information as part of the registration. Authors CANNOT be added to a registration record once it is completed.
SPECIAL CHARACTERS
Certain keyboard characters (such as colons, semicolons, hyphens, slashes, periods, etc) that appear in the filename may impede your ability to upload your file properly. Please be sure your filename has no special characters before registering online.
Sources, References & Credits: Bruce Bisbey, Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, Careers Hub, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Blurb, Media Match, Future Learn, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Chron, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, How Stuff Works, WGA, BBC, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Bright Hub, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, UCAS, Frankenbite, Realty 101, Liberty Me, Careers Hub, Sokanu, Raindance, Film Connection, Cast & Crew, Entertainment Partners, My Job Search, Prospects, David Mullich, Gear Shift, Video University, Oxford Dictionaries’, Boredom Therapy, The Bold Italic, Meets the Eye Studio, The Guardian, Elliot Grove, Jones on art, Creative Plant, Studio Binder, Film Tool Kit, Still Motion, Film Under Ground, Steves Digicams, Improve Photography, Guy Nockels, Namib Films, Film Support, Screen Craft, Movie Outline, Stack Exchange, Ken Davenport – The Producers Perspective,
THIS ARTICLE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THE INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND BRUCE BISBEY MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF PERFORMANCE, MERCHANTABILITY, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, REGARDING THIS INFORMATION. BRUCE BISBEY DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE COMPLETENESS, ACCURACY OR TIMELINESS OF THIS INFORMATION. YOUR USE OF THIS INFORMATION IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY AND RISK OF LOSS RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THIS INFORMATION. BRUCE BISBEY WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, WHETHER IN AN ACTION BASED UPON A STATUTE, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE, RELATING TO THE USE OF THIS INFORMATION.
WGA West Logo / Photo Credit: Variety - WGA West
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