Congratulations on completing your screenplay!
Registering your work with the U.S. Copyright Office ensures you enjoy the full protection and benefits provided by federal law. The prices below reflect a discount for Final Draft customers. To register a screenplay through us, please select one of the options below.
Are you a non-U.S. writer? Read our post on reasons to register with the U.S. Copyright Office.
What do you want to register?
- You are the sole author and sole copyright owner of this original screenplay.
- You were not hired to write this screenplay.
- You will not register anonymously or under a pseudonym.
- The screenplay does not contain more than a negligible amount of quoted material.
- No portion of the screenplay was created by artificial intelligence (AI).
- You have a PDF file of the screenplay TEXT ONLY ready for upload.
- If you were hired to write the screenplay, see WMFH below.
- If the screenplay is based on another work, see Derivative Works below.
- You have names and addresses for all writers of the screenplay.
- No writer of the screenplay will register anonymously or use a pseudonym.
- You have a PDF file of the screenplay TEXT ONLY ready for upload.
Learn about the RightsClick suite for managing and protecting a whole portfolio.
Derivative Works
Adaptations, remakes, spin-offs, sequels, and new series episodes are all examples of “derivative works.” Under the law, a derivative work is only copyrightable if it is lawfully made (i.e., the copyright owner of the original work authorized the derivative, or if the original work is in the public domain). The Copyright Office will want to know that you have that permission before it registers your derivative work. If your script is based on a prior work of yours, you naturally have permission to write the derivative as long as you retained those adaptation rights.
Work Made for Hire (WMFH)
If you were hired to write the screenplay, that screenplay may be a Work Made for Hire. Under this rule, the law considers the hiring party to be the “author” of the screenplay and, therefore, also the initial copyright owner. The Copyright Office will only accept registration applications from the author(s) or copyright owner(s).
About Publication
“Publication” is based on distribution of the work, either to the general public or to a group of people for the purpose of further distribution, performance, or display. Merely displaying a work is not publication. The Supreme Court has said that so long as you make a good faith attempt to get the right answer, even if it turns out you guessed wrong, that will not be a reason to invalidate your registration.
Legal Definition: Publication results from the distribution of copies of a work to the public by sale or orther transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. A work is also “published” if there has been an offering to distribute copies to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display. A public performance or display of a work does not of itself constitute “publication.”
If you still have questions about screenplay registration, you may find answers in our blog on this subject. You can also email info@rightsclick.com.