On-Line Registration & Copyright Whether you've written fiction or non-fiction, a novel or a screenplay, it's generally wise to copyright and/or register your material before sending it out. Here's the difference:

COPYRIGHT—Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of "original works of authorship." This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. The 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and authorize others to reproduce the work, prepare derivitive works, distribute copies of the work for public sale or other transfer of ownership, to display the work publicly, and more. Copyrights do NOT protect IDEAS, only the SPECIFIC EXPRESSION of ideas. For more information on Copyright Basics, download Circular 1 from the Copyright Office by clicking here.

REGISTRATION—Registration of literary works is used to provide legal evidence of possession in the event ownership is ever in dispute. Registration services put a time and date stamp on your possession of a literary work. Registration does NOT prove you are the copyright holder or creator of the literary work—it only proves that you had possession of the work at a given time and date.

Here are several common Registration options available to you:

• The Writer's Guild of America, east—On-line Registration
• The Writer's Guild of America, west—On-line Registration
• National Creative Registry—ProtectRite On-line Registration

Here are several common Copyright options available to you:

• U.S. Copyright Office—Downloadable Forms and Information
• Writer's Copyright Association—Copyright Protect Your Script
• Official Software™—Copyright Forms and Services