Screenwriters
Federation of America exclusively recommends
the National Creative Registry’s intellectual
property protection service ProtectRite
as our preferred registration partner. Founded
in California in 1994 by writers and attorneys,
National Creative Registry's ProtectRite
service processes thousands of online registrations
each year from writers, screenwriters, attorneys,
songwriters, advertising agencies, Internet
& software developers, inventors, scientists,
individuals and corporations worldwide.
Frequently Asked
Questions
REGISTRATION
Do I have to be a member of the SFA to register?
Why should I register?
What type of works can be registered?
Who has access to my registration?
Can titles be registered/protected?
Can I add, edit or update my
registration after registering?
What is the registration fee
and how long is my work registered?
How does ProtectRite compare
to the Writer's Guild registration?
What format should my registration
file be in?
Do I receive some sort of registration
certificate?
Can I renew my registration?
COPYRIGHT
Is registering with ProtectRite
or any other registration service a US Copyright?
Should I register my script
and copyright it with the Library of Congress?
ACCESS, SECURITY & STORAGE
Who has access to my registration?
What do I do if I need an emergency
copy of my registration?
How do I withdraw a registration?
How is my registration stored
for protection?
Do I have to be
a member of the SFA to register?
No. Registration is available for members
and non-members of the SFA.
Why should I register?
ProtectRite registration creates a digital
timestamp, assists in establishing proof
of completion date and provides a documented
record of your claim to authorship, ownership,
and creation. If needed, a ProtectRite representative
will produce registered materials at an
arbitration hearing or in a court of law.
What type of works
can be registered?
Any original intellectual property may be
registered to document the original date
of creation. Original works include, but
are not limited to: synopsis, treatments,
outlines, rough drafts, screenplays, stageplays,
short stories, poems, novels, etc.
Who has access
to my registration?
Only the registered author(s).
Upon receipt, your work is immediately encrypted
and placed in long-term storage. We have
three separate redundant storage systems
to ensure your file is secure and protected.
When you register, you can print your registration
certificate immediately or note the registration
number and utilize the Registration Verification
link to retrieve your certificate as often
as you wish.
Requests for access to registered materials
can only be made by the original registrant
accompanied by registration number and notarized
letter.
Can titles be registered/protected?
Titles cannot be protected.
Can I add, edit
or update my registration after registering?
Absolutely not. The primary purpose
of registration is to establish the completion
date of your original work. Once a work
is registered, the registration file cannot
be modified or altered in any way.
What is the registration
fee and how long is my work registered?
Our $18.95 fee is for ten-year registration.
We accept Mastercard, Visa & American
Express and use secure servers to protect
your privacy. At any time in the registration
period, you can renew for an additional
ten-year term by mailing us the appropriate
fee. Renewals are accepted up to one-month
prior to expiration. At the time of registration,
you authorize National Creative Registry
to destroy your file without further notice
to you on the expiration date in the event
you choose not to renew. ProtectRite does
not make comparisons of registration submissions
or give any legal advice or confer any statutory
protections.
How does ProtectRite
compare to the Writer's Guild registration?
ProtectRite offers the exact same
protection as the Writer's Guild registration
service for less money and longer terms.
$18.95 for ten-year registration as opposed
to $20 for five-year registration.
What format should
my registration file be in?
We accept and verify all formats, but please
submit/upload only one file for each registration.
Do I receive some
sort of registration certificate?
When you register, you can print your registration
certificate immediately or note the registration
number and utilize the Registration Verification
link to retrieve your certificate as often
as you wish.
Can I renew my
registration?
At any time in the registration period,
you can renew for an additional ten-year
term by mailing us the appropriate fee.
Renewals are accepted up to one-month prior
to expiration. At the time of registration,
you authorize National Creative Registry
to destroy your file without further notice
to you on the expiration date in the event
you choose not to renew.
Is registering
with ProtectRite or any other registration
service a US Copyright?
Only The US Copyright Office can issue a
formal copyright, however, the law states
that when you affix your name and date to
an original work you are automatically entitled
to copyright protection. In the cases where
our type of registration has been presented
as evidence, it has been accepted as a copyright.
Writers: Since the copyright office takes
an average of six-months to process applications,
many writers register with us for instant
peace of mind and as an added protection
so they can begin showing their work immediately.
We want our registrants to be well protected
and do advise that writers explore filing
final drafts with the US Copyright office.
Also, always save all correspondence with
anyone you send your work to. A rejection
letter can be important evidence in an infringement
case.
Should I register
my script and copyright it with the Library
of Congress?
We want our registrants to be well protected
and do advise that writers explore filing
final drafts with the US Copyright office.
Remember, nothing great is ever written,
it’s rewritten. Registration is particularly
useful in the writing process for treatments,
outlines, first drafts and all works in
progress. Once you have a polished final
draft, we highly recommend filing for a
copyright with the Library of Congress.
This is absolutely vital if you are trying
to sell your script. See copyright section
below for more info.
Also, always save all correspondence with
anyone you send your work to. A rejection
letter can be important evidence in an infringement
case.
Who has access
to my registration?
Only the registered author(s). Requests
for access to registered materials can only
be made by the original registrant(s) accompanied
by registration number and notarized letter.
What do I do if
I need an emergency copy of my registration?
Original registrant(s) may request an emergency
copy of their registration file be sent
to them via email free of charge. Requests
will only be accepted from the email address
specified at the time of registration. Upon
approval, registration files will only be
emailed to registered address.
How do I withdraw
a registration?
Requests for access to registered materials
can only be made by the original registrant(s)
accompanied by registration number and notarized
letter. To request that a registration be
withdrawn, original registrant must submit
a notarized letter via mail to:
ProtectRite
Nat'l Creative Registry
1106 Second Street
Encinitas, CA 92024
info@protectrite.com
If registration is in the names of more
than one individual, notarized letters must
be submitted by each registrant to withdraw
registration. If a registrant is deceased,
proof of death and written consent of his/her
representatives or heirs must be submitted.
How is my registration
stored for protection?
Upon receipt, your work is immediately encrypted
and placed in long-term storage. We have
three separate redundant storage systems
to ensure your file is secure and protected.
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