WGA script registration service
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The WGA script registration service is run by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) to protect the copyright in literary property useful in the US entertainment field.
The service supports the WGA screenwriting credit system but is also available for non-members to use. This is one of the distinctions that makes the WGA a true guild and not simply a trade union bargaining for existing members.
Registration with the Guild has become important in lawsuits for copyright infringement especially where the degree of copying is very loose or vague or conceptual: invoking the Guild itself as registrar indicates that the Guild's standards concept of property rights in literary works were expected to be followed by at least the registrant.
Although registration is an imporant part of assisting in protecting a writer's rights to his or her work, be aware that registration is NOT the same as a US Copyright. Although a registration may constitue evidence in a copyright dispute, registration is not even prima facie proof of ownership. Thus, registration should be used in connection with registration with the US Copyright Office in order to ensure the best protection for the writer.