Registering Your Script & Copyright Protection

U.S. Copyright Office

Copyright Basics

What Is Copyright?

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States
(title 17, U. S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including
literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This
protection is available to both published and unpublished works.

To receive the complete pdf download of the Copyright Basics information, courtesy of the U.S. Copyright Office, please click this link: http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf

To find out more information on the U.S. Copyright Office, please click here.

Literary Works

A literary work is a work that explains, describes, or narrates a particular subject, theme, or idea through the use of narrative, descriptive, or explanatory text, rather than dialog or dramatic action. Generally, literary works are intended to be read; they are not intended to be performed before an audience.

To find our more information on Literary Works Registration, please click here.

International Information

Original works of expression that are eligible for copyright protection are protected under national copyright laws. Protection against unauthorized use in a particular country depends on the national laws of that country; in other words, copyright protection depends on the national laws where protection is sought. International copyright conventions and treaties have been developed to establish obligations for treaty member countries to adhere to, and implement in their national laws, thus providing more certainty and understanding about the levels of copyright protection in particular countries.

To find our more information on International Registration, please click here.