How to register a copyright in your film or screenplay

Описание: The distributor of your film will probably ask for a certificate saying that you’ve registered a copyright in your film and screenplay, and you should get that done ideally before you get into talks with a distributor.

How do you do this? It’s pretty simple. You need to go to https://www.copyright.gov/registration/, and from there the site will guide you through the process of registering a copyright. The process is pretty straightforward, and I don’t personally think you need to be a lawyer to understand it. You basically just input information about the author of the work (whether it’s the script or the film), and then you upload either the screenplay or a video file of the movie and pay a small fee.

You do need to know that a script is considered a “work of the performing arts” for copyright registration purposes, while a feature film falls into the category of “Motion Picture/Audiovisual Work.” You’ll need to enter this information on the Copyright Office website. Unless the Copyright Office has any issues with your application, you should get a certificate in the mail in about a month saying that your movie or screenplay has been registered.