Should you NOT register your material, you will not be afforded all the protections and compensation under the law.  Don't delay. When I begin a project, I always register my pitch or sequencing with the WGA.  When I've finished the first draft, I register it with the WGAw, the Library of Congress, and I send a sealed, registered copy to myself (with postmarks stamped across the seal) for my own records.

LEARN ABOUT COPYRIGHT          PROPER NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT

Registration is simple.  Simply visit the website of the Writer's Guild of America, west at www.wga.org.  Under the QUICK LINKS section, click on REGISTER YOUR SCRIPT, and you can upload a copy of your screenplay, treatment, pitch, or synopsis right there.  The registration fee is $20 per registration, unless you are a guild member, then it's only $10.  You will receive confirmation of your registration right away.  You will need the SSN of all writers and you will be required to list all authors full legal names. 

If you don't wish to register your work online, you can walk it in or mail it in.  

To mail your material, do the following:

Include cover sheet with title of material and list all author's full legal names. 

Provide Social Security  Numbers, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of all writers.

Include a check or money order for the registration fee of $20 (unless you're a member, then it's only $10)

Mail one UNBOUND copy of the material to:      WGAw Registration, 7000 West Third Street, L.A., CA 90048

You'll receive notice of registration via U.S. Mail usually within 4 weeks, often much sooner.  Registration of your material with the WGA does not take the place of copyright. 

For your benefit, you should register your script with the U.S. Copyright Office as well.

To register your work online, go to the Library of Congress' Copyright Office at http://www.copyright.gov and click on the "Electronic Copyright Office" link.

The electronic filing fee is $35.  You will use form PA or short form PA.  For collaborative work, work made for hire, and work that has been previously published or registered, you will need to use form PA.

To mail in your registration, do the following:

Send these three things in the same package:

A properly completed application form CO. The paper version of the Short Form PA and Form PA are being phased out and are no longer available unless requested by mail.  The barcoded form CO has a much faster processing time.

Filing fee for each application in the amount of $45.

A copy of your script

Ask for book rate when you mail your material to: Library of Congress, Copyright Office, 101 Independence Avenue, SE., Washington DC 20559-6233

You'll receive your proof of registration about 8 weeks later.

Note:  Once I sent two scripts, two applications, and two checks in the same package.  DON'T DO THIS.  They lost one of my checks, so I sent another check, a copy of the script, another application,  and a letter of explanation. Then things really got messy!

The Library of Congress ended up calling me and an investigator was assigned to straighten everything out. Once she took over, the matter was resolved within a day (and I was granted the original date of my first registration).  But this whole process took about 7 months to resolve.