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Q: Movie scripts or ideas ( Answered 4 out of 5 stars,   3 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Movie scripts or ideas
Category: Arts and Entertainment > Movies and Film
Asked by: qb7-ga
List Price: $5.00
Posted: 26 Jun 2002 10:02 PDT
Expires: 26 Jul 2002 10:02 PDT
Question ID: 33590
Is there a place or method online where you can copyright movie
scripts or movie idea concepts? This would have to include a search
for already copyrighted movie concepts. If there is a way, can anyone
do it, or do you have to be a member of an organization? I just need
to find out more about this process. I'm trying to find a fully
digital method for registering and copyrighting movie concepts and
scripts.
Answer  
Subject: Re: Movie scripts or ideas
Answered By: politicalguru-ga on 26 Jun 2002 10:46 PDT
Rated:4 out of 5 stars
 
Dear QB7, 

First, about copywrite and the concept of copywrite. Copywrite
protects expressions of intellectual property - such as movies,
scripts, etc. - but not "ideas" as such. In other words, in order for
an idea to be protected, it should  be articulated in a protected
form. You can check out at the Library of Congress site the types of
works that are protected by copywrite -
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html#wwp ;
http://www.copyright.gov/faq.html#q45

To complicate the picture, one does not have to register his or her
work in the US Copywrite Office in order for it to be "copywritten" -
it is copywritten from the moment of accomplishment. The registration
is important in case of suits and legal arrangements. In other words,
if someone (theoretically) writes a movie concept and doesn't with to
make it public or register it anywhere, it is still his/hers.
You can read more about it here -
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html#cr

Another complication is that copywrite is not always valid
internationally. Some countries may not protect this script.

Since "movie concepts" are not protected as such, I'll discussed
copywritten material - namely "literary works" such as scripts and
scripts outlines.

Works that have been registered in the US could be traced with this
search engine:
(1) http://www.copyright.gov/records/cohm.html (for scripts)
(2) http://www.copyright.gov/records/cohd.html (for "documents", that
may include outlines).

You can also copywrite your own material (script or script outline, as
I said, not "idea" or "concept") at the same site:
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html#rp - note that this
CANNOT be done online (they also say that you can register through
some libraries, but again with normal snail mail).

I also suggest you'll try IMDB's permium service - they have database
on ongoing projects, incl. scripts.

I hope that helped, please contact me with any other question.
qb7-ga rated this answer:4 out of 5 stars
The answer is very nice and comprehensive and I'm greatfull for the
information and the links. The bit about the writer's guild of America
that tomekeeper offered  and ajasper's comments were also interesting
as well as practical since I was ultimately trying to register a
"concept." Thank you for your help.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Movie scripts or ideas
From: thx1138-ga on 26 Jun 2002 11:52 PDT
 
Just to add a little to the excellent answer above:

Itīs a bit heavy going, but might be of interest to you.
"INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT
The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works"
http://www.cerebalaw.com/berne.htm

Good Luck

THX1138
Subject: Re: Movie scripts or ideas
From: tomekeeper-ga on 26 Jun 2002 14:27 PDT
 
If you've got a completed script, you can register it with the
Writer's Guild of America (WGA), which is the "industry" way of
securing your document.  No producer is going to risk their name or a
lawsuit by plagiarizing a script that's registered with the WGA.  You
can now do this online, and you don't need to be a member of the WGA. 
http://www.wga.org

You can also mail yourself a certified letter, containing your script
and/or concepts, which you leave SEALED AND UNOPENED.  Should you need
to prove your claim, you can let a judge unseal it.

Along these lines, you can also use another registry called "First
Use" (http://www.firstuse.com).  You can submit a document, in which
they encode a special "key" for accuracy and verification purposes.
Subject: Re: Movie scripts or ideas
From: ajasper-ga on 26 Jun 2002 15:33 PDT
 
I have two comments to add:

First, although politicalguru is correct about nopt being able to
copyright an idea or concept as such, remember that in the movie world
you can copyright a treatment or outline for a movie. This can be as
short as a few lines or nearly as long as the script itself, but
remember, the more specific the treatment or outline, the easier it is
to protect legally later. But by the same token, the more specific,
the easier it is for someone to use it as inspiration, changing the
details to establish an "original work"  There is a fine line one must
be aware of on just how much detail should go into a treatment or
outline before registering it.

Second, and possibly a minor point, Copyright means the "right to
control copy" of an original work. It has nothing, technically, to do
with writing, therefore the word "copywrite" as used in the original
answer is not what we are talking about here.

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