WGA, Library of Congress or both?

[robogabs]

Thanks for the info, Don. I'm sure others had some of the same concerns.
Robo

[ScriptNurse]

No matter how you do it, you are protected by copyright law, which says that the moment you complete a work, it is protected by international copyright law. The catch is WHEN. Any registration service or filing places a date/time stamp on the work, proving when it was created. The only advantage to a Library of Congress registration is that (to my knowledge) it's never been questioned in a court of law. Writers Guild registration is easier, faster and cheaper — and must be renewed periodically. In addition, there are registration services like:

Writers Guild of America
ProtectRite
Film Tracker
Worldwide Online Creator's Registry
Hollywood Script Readers Digest
Rights Marketplace
Screenplayers
Screenwriters Market
Screenwriters Utopia
Writers Script Network

In order for copyright protection to be extended worldwide, use the following format:

[script]Copyright © YYYY Copyright Holder's Name, All Rights Reserved[/script]

Here's an example:

[script]Copyright © 2005 Donnelly R. Bledsoe, All Rights Reserved[/script]

In the United States, it is NOT necessary to include the above notice in order to be afforded protection under the law. I do not recommend that it be placed on screenplays because it dates the screenplay, which could have an adverse effect should a producer read something in a few years that you created in recent years because it may be viewed as "old."

[robogabs]

Dear Don,
I've just finished a political/action thriller I have high hopes for. 
I sent in a copy of my screenplay with the appropriate forms to the Library of Congress (perhaps I should have done this first).
My question is this:
Are there additional advantages to registering with the Library of Congress over the WGA?
The disadvantage is the time factor. The Library of Congress takes five months whereas the WGA is instantaneous on line.
Douglas Wolf