Copyright Questions

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BrownwriterChi

Hi, I was wondering if I could copyright the name I want for my production company, even if I'm not able to make any films at the moment. Also, if I Can write screenokays and put them under that production company name? Last, if i want to copyright treatments do i have to pay the fee for each of them if i register with the WGA or US Copyright or can i send in as many as i want and still pay the same fee?

Thanks,

BWC
 
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You can trademark the name for your production company. It's a lengthy process and costs around $400, if you can do the paperwork yourself, and they will want to see your trademark in use within a certain time frame after application, to complete the registration process.

You pay per registration for each screenplay, whether it's with the WGA or U.S. Copyright offices.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "putting screenplays under your production company's name". As the author? As a sort of "to be produced by" credit? Not necessary, IMO.

gelder
 
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BrownwriterChi said:
Hi, I was wondering if I could copyright the name I want for my production company, even if I'm not able to make any films at the moment.
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No. A company name cannot be copyrighted. You can register
a trademark.

BrownwriterChi said:
Also, if I Can write screenokays and put them under that production company name?
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What do you mean "put them under"? If your company is a
legal company you can copyright your script using the legal
entity as the copyright owner. If you want to put "written by
BrownwriterChi Productions" you can. If you want to make a
movie and put "BrownwriterChi Productions" presents, you can.
BrownwriterChi said:
Last, if i want to copyright treatments do i have to pay the fee for each of them if i register with the WGA or US Copyright or can i send in as many as i want and still pay the same fee?
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Each treatment should be registered separately. Frankly, registering
the copyright for a treatment is useless. You cannot copyright the
content of the treatment, only the written expression. Your idea or
story and characters are not protected by registering a treatment.
 
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1) You can't copyright names, but you can trademark them. It's a much more involved process, which is why fewer people do it.
2) You can put your production company name on your scripts, but it makes no difference in terms of ownership rights. The author owns the rights unless assigned to somebody else. If you incorporate your production company as a legal entity, then you can assign the rights to this entity (typically a contractual process).
3) Each work must be registered or copyrighted separately. But WGA registration will suffice. Also, since a treatment is not really a finished product but only a kind of outline, you may not be able to copyright one in any case. (This is also why you can't copyright names or titles, as they are not finished products.)
 
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Anything you write (except for titles) is copyright protected whether you "register" it or not. This protection is granted to you via U.S. copyright law as soon as your pen leaves paper.

Registering it or other paperwork BS just offers another layer, of perhaps false sense, of "protection", but doesn't prevent your work from getting stolen or save you from having to sue to recover damages.

Whether or not registering your work depends on the perceived value of it. The higher the possibility it will actually get sold, the more registering it makes sense.

The vast majority of of scripts aren't worth the paper its printed on and somebody is rolling in dough with the needless $$$ being paid to register worthless scripts.

Thanks for reading and good luck.
 
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Each work must be registered or copyrighted separately. But WGA registration will suffice.
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NEVER ever use the writer's guild to register a work. They are cheaper for a reason. They destroy the copy that you send them after a few years -- I think after just 6 years. The US Copyright Office will NEVER destroy the work that you send them. So this is a no-brainer. Copyright with the US Copyright office only.
 
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