Monday, January 31, 2005

A. Yes. You can copyright anything. Just get the right form from the Library of Congress. For Performing Arts, you generally need the Form PA. I think it's $30 now.

Copyrighting is much better than registering with the WGA/WGC, for reasons I go into in detail in my book.

Labels: copyright, rights

5:17 PM

3 Comments:

A treatment can be sold/developed into a play, book, or movie. Copywriting with form PA does not appear to allow you to cover all three bases.

By  Unknown, at 3:31 PM  

Say, Alex, what about TV show bibles or episode outlines? Do you know if it is possible to copyright those and how to do it? How have you handled it when you've been pitching TV shows?

Shaula

By  mitsugomi, at 11:53 PM  

Mitsugomi, you can copyright pretty much any creative expression by sending your material with a form PA (if it's performing arts). Bruce, your creative material is copyrighted whether you turn your treatment into a movie or a book; the form relates to the LoC's bookkeeping, not the legal status of your work.

But I think most pro writers don't bother. It's time and money they could be spending writing, and you almost never hear about people truly stealing a show or a script. They might steal your idea, but they can do that anyway. You can't copyright an idea.

By  Alex Epstein, at 9:13 AM  

Post a Comment

Back to Complications Ensue main blog page.