[JasonWatkins]

basically, i've got a short script that's in production and will be filmed in the near future and I want to just cover myself just in case.

There's a place online called the script vault which charges £10 per script to register it, but i don't really want to go there for two reasons - i can't really afford it and also, the script is only 20 pages.

i know some people have posted the material to themselves via registered delivery and not opened it as a means of proving the ownership and date, but i wasn't so sure that counted any more.

I'm googling around for ideas, but if anyone has any suggestions i'd be most grateful - cheers

[mistri]

As far as I know (which may not be much), in general, you have the copyright on whatever you've written automatically - but you register copyright so that you can claim for money lost if someone else infringes upon it.

I know when it comes to writing fiction people advise not bothering to register copyright on books, because it's done by the publisher before publication. However it is more common in the film world.

This BBC page suggests a couple of places to register copyright: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork...guidecopyright

The posting-yourself-thing doesn't really work, because all it proves is you sent an envelope - after all you could send it unsealed, then put work in after the fact and seal it up.

[maimou]

With music you need to send yourself a copy of the works (self addressed envelope post marked legally at a particular date); I'd imagine with fiction something similar could work in theory but don't know the law.

[JasonWatkins]

Originally Posted by mistri

The posting-yourself-thing doesn't really work, because all it proves is you sent an envelope - after all you could send it unsealed, then put work in after the fact and seal it up.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

I've just checked the Script Factory and they want £30 per script ..

The only other thing I can think of is to post it to a trusted third person maybe ?

At least they could essentially witness that the envelope hadn't been tampered with when they receive it.

[Karis]

Originally Posted by JasonWatkins

Yeah, that's what I thought.

I've just checked the Script Factory and they want £30 per script ..

The only other thing I can think of is to post it to a trusted third person maybe ?

At least they could essentially witness that the envelope hadn't been tampered with when they receive it.

Do NOT bother with any of this ridiculous script factory crap or posting stuff to yourself or other people. It's all rubbish!

Forget about protecting your script and concentrate on selling it.

The sad fact is that your idea, which you think is so original, will already have been done somewhere by someone else over the years. There are very very few original ideas or concepts.

So just don't worry about it, just go out and sell it with every ounce of your being.

Good luck.

[JasonWatkins]

Originally Posted by Karis

Good luck.

Thank you

I don't need to sell it because it's already being produced - I have someone who is directing, and we've been in touch about casting, filming e.t.c...

It's more the director's idea to protect it really - I don't personally think it's an idea anyone would try and nick.

Chances are i'll tell him to just go with the flow, but i'll still have a look around anyway.

[marvola45]

You automatically own the copyright to anything you write.

[r_mitchell85]

I heard that one thing to do is print a copy off, (or part of?) and put it in a sealed stamped addressed envelope, and post it to yourself?

don't know if this would actually stand for anything?

[Karis]

Originally Posted by r_mitchell85

I heard that one thing to do is print a copy off, (or part of?) and put it in a sealed stamped addressed envelope, and post it to yourself?

don't know if this would actually stand for anything?

Firstly, as has been said: this means nothing. It wouldn't and hasn't stood up in a court of law.

Secondly, if it's already *being* produced, why would you be worrying? Even if someone were to steal your material, your project will be finished way before they could get it off the ground.

Again, to reiterate: you can't copywrite an idea, you need to write it or create it first.

I see countless threads like these and really, it's an awful lot of worry over nothing.

[cassieconvinced]

Originally Posted by marvola45

You automatically own the copyright to anything you write.

And I believe that even a date-stamp in your computer can be found to verify when you started writing the damn thing

[ladydragon]

Originally Posted by JasonWatkins

i know some people have posted the material to themselves via registered delivery and not opened it as a means of proving the ownership and date, but i wasn't so sure that counted any more.

I'm googling around for ideas, but if anyone has any suggestions i'd be most grateful - cheers

You don't *need* to do anything... Copyright is automatically granted when your work was fixed in a medium so to speak... There's no other registration required and as you're already into production I don't see how anyone could half hinch it now and try and pass it off as theirs...

You'll find oodles of info on copyright at the Intellectual Property Office plus bits and bobs on management, enforcement, organisations who represent copyright owners etc...

IPO - Copyright

[Dissonance]

Originally Posted by mistri

The posting-yourself-thing doesn't really work, because all it proves is you sent an envelope - after all you could send it unsealed, then put work in after the fact and seal it up.

When I was first introduced to this method, I was told to put the recorded delivery sticker over the envelope openings and also to get the Post Office to stamp a date stamp over other openings.

[Karis]

...

This thread is full of great advice for people about copyright, yet people continue to post nonsense about sending mail to themselves, invariably made by people who have never been published and who certainly don't understand the copyright system.

Go read up on it. There's a highly informative post about it just a few inches up the page.

[susie-4964]

Originally Posted by cassieconvinced

And I believe that even a date-stamp in your computer can be found to verify when you started writing the damn thing

Not necessarily. You can just change the date on the computer. Unfortunately Harold Shipman forgot about that.

[r_mitchell85]

Originally Posted by Karis

Firstly, as has been said: this means nothing. It wouldn't and hasn't stood up in a court of law.

my bad, I didn't read the entire thread properly did I.

[JasonWatkins]

Well i've emailed the director and just told him to go with it - it's only scheduled to be a 5 day shoot as it is so I think it's going to be fine.

Thanks for all the advice though - useful for the day when I actually manage to pull a feature script out of my arse

[Tassium]

Basically set-up a small newspaper operation and in the first edition feature an article about yourself and your script. Don't forget to mention the plot and how you didn't murder your girlfriend twenty years ago. Also make sure in the accompanying photograph you are holding the script next to a full-sized cardboard cut out of Peter Falk.

Next!, wind back the computers clock three hours and load the magnum with blanks...

Hey this is a good idea for a TV movie!, how do I go about copyrighting it?

[dsdjm]

....deleted - actually more expensive than Script Vault....

[WokStation]

Originally Posted by susie-4964

Not necessarily. You can just change the date on the computer. Unfortunately Harold Shipman forgot about that.

You can also edit the time-created, time-accessed and time-modified attributes of a file and set them to anything you want, which is probably simpler than making your system think it's a different day!

[Karis]

People need to get over this hangup of worrying about people nicking their ideas. Publishing houses don't do it, and aside from a few small companies, my stuff has remained unstolen * throughout my writing career.

I've had three novels published and I do all sorts of design and journalism work, and I'm not in the slightest bit worried if someone nicks my stuff.

Why? 'cos I'm getting paid for the work I do, but, FAR more importantly, I'm not so foolish as to think anything I do has so much as an ounce of originality to it.

Everything's been done to the Nth degree; so, bearing that in mind, all that matters is how well YOU do something.

Idly worrying about copyright is the province of the unpublished and the novice who knows nothing about the industry and how it really works. Sure, there's LOADS of ideas stealing at high levels of TV and movie making, but for the little guys at the bottom, there's virtually nothing to worry about

I hope this doesn't come across as being too strong, I really just want to put people's minds at rest and get them away from the idea that they have to jealously guard their material OR far worse, pay greedy companies to register their ideas.

*Not actually a word.

[Tassium]

I though that too... until my script for "The Mafia Don Who Stares At Goats And Fights Sharks While Trapped In The Body Of A Twelve Year Old Space Alien Who Sees Dead People" which I sent to Universal pictures many years ago was stolen by unscrupulous producers.

They made it into a several films.

[JasonWatkins]

The bizarre thing is, I met up with a guy about 18 months ago to talk about another script he was interested in.

He had me sign a quite extensive option agreement because he told me that his previous writing partner actually had nicked the script they'd been working on and claimed it as his own.

Strange thing is, I haven't heard from him for over a year and next April, the script reverts back to my full ownership if he hasn't put it in production by then.

[Karis]

Originally Posted by Tassium

I though that too... until my script for "The Mafia Don Who Stares At Goats And Fights Sharks While Trapped In The Body Of A Twelve Year Old Space Alien Who Sees Dead People" which I sent to Universal pictures many years ago was stolen by unscrupulous producers.

They made it into a several films.

OMG. That happened to me, too! Hmmm. You didn't steal my ideas did you?

DAMN. I *knew* I should have used the Script Factory!!!