What are the benefits or advantages of registering my work?
Stated simply, registration constructs protective measures against unauthorized use or plagiarism of an author’s materials. This does not mean that it prevents anyone else from creating a work with a similar story, character, or theme to your work. However, registering your work may discourage others from using your work without your permission. In part, this is because registering your work establishes a date for your work’s existence. Scripped, as a neutral third party, can testify regarding the registration date, thus offering evidence that assists in documenting the creation of your work. BACK TO TOP.

What do the registration fees cover?
The registration fee Scripped charges you provides for the months or years of legal evidence for your material. The fee also helps maintain overhead associated with the service, including, the maintenance of any licenses or the security technology associated with providing these services. BACK TO TOP.

What type of works can I submit for registration?
All types of literary materials may be registered with our service. A few examples of materials that are appropriate for registration include stories, plays, treatments for television shows, poems, lyrics for a song, scripts for a feature film or television show, radio stories and other works. BACK TO TOP.

Is there a particular file format I need to use for my material?
No. We will accept .doc, .pdf, .txt and any other valid file format. BACK TO TOP.

Will Scripped review my material?
No. Once the material is submitted using our service, Scripped does not review the materials or offer it to any other parties for review. Scripped takes possession of the material as evidence of the creation of that material. Only the author has access to the materials by making a request as explained below. BACK TO TOP.

Can I make multiple submissions?
Of course. Although, you can only submit one file, limited to 50MB size, per submission. For multiple submissions, you need to complete the form for each submission. BACK TO TOP.

Does registration with Scripped’s service act as a U.S. Copyright?
Using Scripped’s Registration system does not take the place of obtaining a U.S. Copyright, only the U.S. Copyright Office can issue a formal copyright. Any questions regarding a U.S. Copyright should be directed to the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C. at http://www.loc.gov. In order to protect your work, we suggest that authors explore filing completed works with the U.S. Copyright office as well. BACK TO TOP.

Why should I use Scripped’s service if I intend to obtain a copyright from the U.S. Copyright Office?
One reason is because the act of registering your work with Scripped creates a separate record for your material. In that regard, you may consider registering drafts or portions of your work with Scripped’s service prior to submitting an application with your final draft to the U.S. Copyright Office. This would provide added protection for your work while you are in the writing process, especially while your application is pending with the Copyright Office. BACK TO TOP.

Does registration of my material protect the title of my work as well?
No, the registration process does not protect titles. Titles of your work may be protected by contacting the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office through their website located at http://www.uspto.gov. BACK TO TOP.

Can registered material be added to or updated?
No, allowing such functionality would undermine the registration process. The primary purpose of registration is to establish the completion date of your original work. Once a work is registered, the registration file cannot be modified or altered in any way. If you make substantive changes to your material, we suggest that you register such subsequent drafts. BACK TO TOP.

Can I gain access to my registration information?
Yes. A request for the information conveyed on your certificate can be obtained by emailing vault@scripped.com. Follow the instructions we send you, and mail a completed form to the following address: 12392 Arroyo De Arguello Saratoga, CA 95070. BACK TO TOP.

Can I get copies of my registered material?
A copy of your registered material may be obtained for the current rate of registration by one or more of the listed authors. If an author is deceased, proof of death and consent of the representative of the heir(s) and/or estate must be presented in order to obtain a copy of the material. Otherwise, Scripped will not make available any deposited materials unless a guild action, court order, or other legal process has been served. BACK TO TOP.

Will I receive a notice letting me know when to renew registration for my materials?
Yes, Scripped will send you a notification for renewal of registration 60 days prior to expiration. For that reason, you need to alert Scripped to any changes in your contact information. This responsibility rests solely with the author. BACK TO TOP.

How do I renew my registration?
To renew a registration, visit Scripped 1 month before the expiration date. Registration cannot be renewed online -- only by mail, or by fax paid with Visa/MasterCard. It is not necessary to send a duplicate copy of material when renewing within the registration renewal period. The renewal fee is the current registration rate. BACK TO TOP.

What happens if I allow my registration to lapse?
Because registration is valid for a specific time period, material that is not renewed is destroyed and purged from our possession. Recall that once you submit material for registration, you authorize Scripped to destroy the material without notice to you upon expiration of the time period you selected from the effective date. If material is destroyed, Scripped will not be able to submit your work as evidence to any legal proceeding. BACK TO TOP.

How does Scripped store my material?
Material submitted online is stored in a non-rewritable digital format in a secure location. We also create a hashed version of the material that you submit with a digital code that Scripped stores as well. BACK TO TOP.

How does Scripped provide confirmation of a date?
When you submit your material, Scripped uses Digistamp, Inc.’s time stamp authority technology to generate a digital time stamp that is associated with your material. That technology uses a methodology that meets the legal standard for using electronic records as legal evidence in the U. S. court system. For more information visit – http://www.digistamp.com. BACK TO TOP.